A Wedding in the Hollow
by deepfriedcake
Summary: Pre-series. The sequel to "A Year in the Hollow." Join Luke, Lorelai and Rory as they prepare for the most anticipated wedding in Stars Hollow history!
1. Sparkles, Sunset, and a Lot of Smooching

**A/N:** Hello there, it's almost fall and we're back in the Hollow! This is the continuation of _A Year in the Hollow_ , which **_(Spoilers, Sweeties!)_ ** ended with Luke and Lorelai blissfully happy together in a new relationship and Luke taking Rory along on a ring-shopping expedition. This first chapter picks up immediately after the last chapter of _Year_ ended. You may notice some familiar phrases from the show tucked in here and there because I want everyone to realize these are the same people, just existing a little before we first met them on Gilmore Girls. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 ** _A Wedding in the Hollow_**

 ** _Chapter 1_**

 ** _Some Sparkles, a Sunset, and a Lot of Smooching_**

"Squawk like a chicken."

Rory's head jerked up and she turned startled eyes Luke's way. "What did you say?"

He shrugged, keeping his attention mostly on the road ahead. "You've been staring at that ring ever since we left Hartford. I thought maybe you'd managed to hypnotize yourself, and if so, I might as well have some fun with it."

Rory grinned and squawked obediently.

"Uh-oh. Your mom is going to be _so_ mad at me."

"Not once she sees this ring," Rory disputed. Her gaze returned to the open blue velvet box on her lap and the object of fascination held within it. "Was this really the one you liked the best?"

"Yep."

Rory lifted the box to bring it closer to her face and examined the precious stones in more detail. "The little blue ones on either side are sapphires, right?"

"That's right."

"They make me think of Mom's eyes. Is that why you liked this one the best? Because you thought so too?"

"Uh…Well, yeah, I guess I did." Luke felt a little uncomfortable admitting it to Rory, as if even that mere insight into how his mind worked regarding Lorelai's physical attributes somehow crossed a line of intimacy. But it was true. As soon as he saw the ring ornamented with the sapphires, he knew it should be on Lorelai's hand.

Rory glanced from the ring to his face, studying his eyes. "That saleslady in the other store said that we had the same eyes. Do you think we do?"

"No," Luke said firmly. "You definitely have your mom's eyes. But if somebody hadn't seen you with her, then I guess ours could be close enough."

Rory attempted a maneuver on the seat, putting her hand on Luke's shoulder and pulling up her legs, trying to rise up to get a better view of his eyes.

"Hey, sit down!" he ordered sharply.

She plopped back down, unperturbed at his rebuke. "Yeah, your eyes are a little bit lighter. Mom and I have a darker blue, more like the sapphires."

He nodded. "I think that's true."

Rory went back to staring at the ring. "You know, Prince Charles gave Princess Diana a big sapphire ring when they got engaged."

"Oh, yeah. I think I remember seeing pictures at the time."

"It's huge." Rory made a big oval with her fingers. "It's got a whole bunch of little diamonds all around it."

Luke gave a grunt of acknowledgement, not caring too much about the British monarchy or their jewels.

"But now they kind of hate each other, so it's probably a good thing you're only giving Mom a ring with little sapphires in it."

"Uh…yeah." He tapped against the steering wheel nervously, contemplating that. "There's not some sort of stupid superstition about sapphires, is there?"

"I don't think so." Rory turned to look at him, her forehead wrinkling as she sorted through facts stored in her brain. "I could go look it up, though."

"Nah, it's fine," Luke said decisively. "I mean, unless you wanted to," he added a minute later, wavering after all.

"Anyway, I don't think their problems have anything to do with the sapphire," Rory explained earnestly. "From what I read in _People_ magazine, I think Charles is in love with that Camilla woman."

"Well, that's not the case here." Luke grasped the steering wheel and stared down the highway. "Nobody here is in love with anybody else."

"Exactly," Rory agreed. "So it should be fine."

Rory returned to the ring's hypnotic power and Luke concentrated on driving, trying to ignore any small misgivings creeping into his consciousness, all involving reasons why Lorelai would say 'no' instead of 'yes.'

"When are you going to ask her?" Rory wanted to know, interrupting his worry session.

"Tomorrow."

Rory gasped. "Wow! That's fast!"

He gnawed his lower lip for a few seconds before he replied. "I think it's best if neither of us to have to keep the secret too long."

" _I_ can keep a secret!" Rory's voice rose sharply, insulted by his accusation.

"I know you can," Luke soothed her. "But maybe I can't. And besides, tomorrow…" He faded off. "I really want it to be tomorrow."

"Are you going to get down on your knee? You know that's how you're supposed to do it, right?" she informed him, turning bossy.

"Rory…" Luke shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "When I ask your mom…it'll be just her and me. You know that, right? I mean, all three of us can celebrate later, but –"

"Of course I know that, Luke!" she scolded him. "It's not like I'm some stupid little kid!"

"Yeah, right, I know, but just the way you were talking…I didn't want you to be disappointed."

Rory's loud sigh was full of annoyance. "I know you two will want to be alone so you can kiss and stuff."

He drove silently for a mile or two, hoping fervently that she didn't know too much about the 'and stuff.'

"Hey, do you think my dad had a ring when he asked Mom to marry him?"

"What?" Now it was Luke's turn to be startled. "When was this?"

"Back…you know. Back when Mom found out she was going to have me."

Last fall's conversation from inside the corn maze drifted back to him, and he remembered Lorelai saying that Christopher was willing to get married because that's what the parents wanted. "I doubt that a 16-year-old guy was able to buy an engagement ring," he began to point out, but stopped abruptly upon realizing that a 16-year-old in Lorelai's parents' world probably had access to a great many things.

Rory looked down at the box in her lap, considering that. "Well, if he did, and Mom _still_ turned him down, then I think she was really strong. You know how much she likes sparkly things."

Luke chuckled, feeling more relaxed. "Yeah," he agreed.

Rory looked out the window, pensively regarding the scenery rushing by. "Grandma still yells at her about it though," she said quietly, a few miles later.

"About what?"

"Not marrying Dad."

Tension crept back into his neck. "What do you mean, she yells at her?"

"I mean, it's one of the things they fight about whenever we're together. Grandma's always telling Mom she was a fool not to snatch Dad up when he wanted to marry her."

Luke breathed in deeply and let it out slowly, trying to figure out how to respond. Finally, curiosity won. "And what does your mom say?"

"She says that even if she would have caved and gotten married, they would have been divorced by the time they were 18." Rory turned towards him, shrugging. "And then Grandma says, 'But at least you'd have been _married_ , Lorelai.'" She did a pretty good imitation of her grandmother.

Luke smiled half-heartedly, now able to visualize the sparring between Lorelai and the formidable Emily Gilmore. "How do you feel about that?" he gently asked Rory.

She looked confused. "About them fighting? I hate it."

"No, I mean about the not getting married part." He hesitated for just a second. "Do you wish they had?"

Rory looked down at her lap and suddenly snapped the jewel box shut. "When I was little, I guess I did, sometimes." She sighed. "It would have made it easier. It would have made us more…I don't know… _normal_."

Luke nodded in understanding, remembering what it felt like to be the only kid without a mom.

"But then, we probably would've never moved here, and that means Lane wouldn't be my best friend, and I wouldn't have lived at the Inn with Mia, and we wouldn't have our house, and we wouldn't know you." Rory shot him the sweetest smile imaginable. "And I'd hate that. So I'm glad Mom had the guts to turn him down, even if he did have a big sparkly ring and got down on one knee."

He smiled back at her. "Yeah. Me too."

They lapsed into silence, but as they grew closer to Stars Hollow, Luke noticed that Rory was staring blankly out the window, her thumb anxiously swirling over the blue velvet.

"Still got something on your mind?"

She wet her lips, trying to look unconcerned. "I guess I was just wondering…Does it bother you, when people sometimes think you're my dad?"

"Does it _bother_ me?" He quickly glanced at her, surprised at the question.

"Yeah," she said, extra-quietly.

"No, it certainly doesn't bother me," he stated firmly. Rory stayed silent and he considered her question further. "I guess if anything, it makes me feel guilty."

"Guilty? Why would you feel guilty?"

"Because it makes me feel like I'm taking credit for something I didn't do." He reached over and grabbed her knee, giving it an affectionate shake. "You're a great kid, Rory. Anybody would be proud to be your dad. Me included."

She smiled shyly back at him. "And now, you sort of will be, right?"

He straightened back up behind the wheel. "Again, if your mom says yes."

"She's going to say yes," Rory said with complete confidence. "She really loves you, Luke. So it's a done deal."

After her pronouncement Rory flipped the jewelry box open and studied the ring again. "Would it be OK if I tried it on? For just a minute?"

Luke paused for a fraction of a second before he nodded assent. He guessed there was no harm in letting her admire it on her finger. He started to say 'but be careful' but shut his mouth instead. There was no need to ever tell Rory to be careful. Careful should have been her middle name.

"I'll be careful," she assured him at just that moment, reverently lifting the ring out of the box.

Luke broke out laughing and she looked at him, baffled.

"You're the best kid ever, Rory," he explained, still chuckling. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her shake her head as if he was the crazy one, before she cautiously slipped the ring over her finger. She sighed happily and he did too. He applied a little more force to the gas pedal, because suddenly he wanted to be back in Stars Hollow as soon as possible.

* * *

"I've changed my mind," Lorelai announced dramatically after dinner the next evening. "I don't want you to go to Lane's."

" _Mom,"_ Rory groaned, glancing at Luke a little worriedly.

Lorelai pouted prettily. "After all, it's my day. Look on the calendar. Any calendar. Mother's _Day_ , it says. That means the _whole_ day belongs to me, all 24 hours of it. You have to do my bidding. It's practically the law. Thus I forbid you to leave my side before midnight."

"Like it's a Cinderella thing? I have to be your servant until midnight?" Rory tried to joke, but her eyes still flicked nervously over to Luke, begging him to give her some help.

"I think you've already had a pretty good Mother's Day," Luke pointed out, answering Rory's silent plea. "Rory made you breakfast –"

" _And_ gave you a great gift!" Rory cut in.

Luke nodded in agreement. "I made you lunch, watched _Casablanca_ with you –"

" _Again!"_ Rory inserted.

"Then I brought you here to the diner and fed you every disgusting thing you wanted for dinner –"

"Dinner was perfect, by the way." Lorelai smiled and smacked her lips, rubbing her tummy. "Exactly enough cheese on my burger."

"Yes, you finally wore me down on that elusive third slice," he sighed. "So I say you've already had a great day."

"It _has_ been great," Lorelai conceded. "But maybe we should shoot for stupendous!" She reached across the table and grabbed Rory's hand. "What do you say, Kid? Stay here and I bet we can convince Luke to make us brownies!" She leaned forward, pretending to whisper. "I know for a fact he can't resist your puppy dog eyes. Go for it – now!"

Rory rolled her eyes instead. "You've already had pie. And besides, Lane's waiting for me to come over. We have to work on our project, it's due on Wednesday."

"Oh, all right." Lorelai leaned back in her chair, feigning disappointment. "I just don't know what right the school has to assign you work that interferes with _my_ day."

"You should lodge a complaint with the school board," Luke said blandly. He put a hand on her arm. "Why don't we walk her over to Lane's? That way you can spend another, oh, say a minute and a half with her."

Lorelai beamed at him because he was playing along and jumped up out of her chair. "Brilliant idea, Hon!"

Ninety seconds later they were standing at the door of Kim's Antiques.

"Happy Mother's Day!" Lorelai greeted Mrs. Kim brightly.

Mrs. Kim looked at Lorelai suspiciously. "Mothers should be treated with respect on every day, not just on this day."

"Well, uh, yes, that's true." Lorelai's happy glow dimmed somewhat under Mrs. Kim's sternness. "But still, today is – you know, special. More special than the usual days of respectfulness….Anyway, here's Rory!" She pushed Rory in front of her.

"You have brought your work?"

Rory nodded, patting the backpack slung over her arm.

Mrs. Kim stepped aside. "Lane is upstairs."

"Bye Sweetie!" Lorelai said as Rory stepped inside. "We'll be back at 8 to pick her up," she informed the sentry at the door.

For some reason Mrs. Kim glared at Luke. "See that you do."

"Absolutely," Luke responded, standing up even straighter under her scrutiny. Mrs. Kim nodded curtly, closed the door, and Luke took Lorelai's hand and hustled them away from the antique shop as fast as possible.

"I don't know why I let her intimidate me," he muttered.

"Because she's scary, that's why," Lorelai replied, shuddering slightly.

"But yet Lane's such a –"

"A doll. A little sweetheart."

"Yeah." Luke took a cleansing breath, now that they were outside of Mrs. Kim's radius. "Hey, since it's such a nice night, why don't we take a walk? Maybe walk down to the lake?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose doubtfully. "You want to?"

He nudged her shoulder with his and pointed at the sky. "Pretty spectacular sunset."

"Well look at you, being all romantic and stuff," she said with a grin. "And maybe a walk would be beneficial. Help to work off that third slice of cheese." She bumped her hip into his.

"You said that, not me." Luke threw his arm over her shoulder, giving her a quick hug as they turned towards the park, and then ambled down the path by the lake.

Having his arm around her helped him to lead her where he wanted to go, which was to one particular grove of trees, some yards distant from the well-worn path.

Lorelai began to chuckle. "Oh-ho, very smooth, Danes. I do believe I recognize that tree." She shook off his arm and walked over to it, first petting it fondly and then turning around, so that she could lean her back against the bark. "Here we are at the site of our first make-out session. Come here, Babe." She held out her arms to him, waggling her fingers in invitation.

Luke closed the few feet between them quickly and eagerly met her lips. The kiss ended up being a quick one though, as his nerves wouldn't let him linger.

Lorelai looked at him quizzically, lightly scratching her fingernails against his scalp. "What's wrong? You don't want to smooch?"

"No. Well, yes – but not right now. I thought maybe we could talk a little bit first." He cringed, hearing the tension in his voice.

Now Lorelai looked really worried. "You? You want to talk? What about?"

"Just…stuff." He took her hand and nudged her over to a fallen log, urging her to have a seat. He sat down beside her and then froze, not able to recall one word of the careful speech he'd rehearsed. Desperately he took a look around. "Man. Uh, look at that sunset, huh?"

"Luke, I don't want to talk about the freakin' sunset! I want to know what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong." He grabbed her hand again, lacing their fingers together, using her presence to calm him down. "I just wanted to talk about how today…Well, you know, today's Mother's Day."

"Yes, I'm aware," she said brusquely, frowning.

"Right, sure. Of course you know that." Luke made himself take a breath, trying to regroup. "And you know too, I lost my mom when I was pretty young."

He felt her relax, slightly. She squeezed his hand in sympathy. "Yeah, Hon, I know. I can't imagine how rough that was for you."

He nodded, but hurried on. "So for a long time, I mostly ignored Mother's Day. It meant nothing to me, and truthfully, I didn't want it to mean anything. Just another day, you know?"

"Sure," she commiserated, rubbing his shoulder.

"But then last year, on Mother's Day, Rory came into the diner, to get you a cup of coffee."

Lorelai's face broke into a smile. "Oh yeah, that's right! I remember that. I got out of the bathtub and found a tepid cup of coffee waiting for me." She giggled a little bit. "I drank it anyway, of course."

"Of course."

She snuggled against him slightly. "The pie was awesome, though."

He wrapped his arm around her. "That day, talking to Rory, it changed a lot of things for me. For the first time in years, I thought about my mom. I mean, _really_ thought about her. I remembered the way she taught me to mix up cake batter, and how I spent time in the kitchen with her every day. It was like I could almost see her again, the way she always had her hair up in a ponytail, and wore these short, skinny pants all the time."

"Capris?" Lorelai theorized, always interested in the fashion component.

"Maybe. I don't know. Anyway, it was nice to remember, and I was grateful that Rory came into the diner and unlocked my memory."

"Aww, Luke. Sweet." She turned to him, face upturned, wanting a kiss.

He had more to say, first. "And that also made me see you in a different way."

That made her frown again. "What do you mean, different?"

"The more I talked to Rory that day, the more I realized how great of a kid she was. Funny, and polite, and obviously very smart. And it dawned on me that since you were the one who'd raised her to be that way, maybe I was wrong about you."

"Wrong about me how?" Lorelai demanded icily.

"Wrong in thinking you were nothing but a pretty, coffee-addicted woman with a mouth that couldn't stay shut."

"Wow, OK." She pulled away from him, obviously hurt. "So you didn't like me. Got it."

He shook his head. "It's not that I didn't _like_ you – I didn't _know_ you. Not really. But talking to Rory changed all that. It made me think that you must be pretty great too, to have a kid like her. It made me think that maybe I should listen to you the next time you came into the diner, instead of trying to duck the steady stream of words coming out of your mouth."

Lorelai took in a sharp breath, still upset.

Luke growled and reached for her hand, grasping it over her protests. "Look, this isn't coming out the way I wanted it to at all. What I'm trying to say here is that I love you, and one of the many reasons I love you is because you're a great mom. Rory is amazing and _you_ are the reason why she's so amazing. And I want you to know that's how I feel, OK?"

"O-kay," Lorelai said, now sounding more confused than hurt.

"And…" He wanted to growl again, frustrated at how his words weren't living up to their promise, but stopped himself before he could. "So today, Mother's Day, it's become a big thing to me now, because it's the day my life changed. Rory came into the diner and my life completely changed. Here it's a year later, and I've got you, and her, and I'm…I'm happy, Lorelai. I'm happier than I ever thought I could be."

She looked at him then, the worry and hurt completely leaving her face. Tenderly she put her other hand against his cheek. "I'm glad. I'm happy too. And I'm glad you don't think I'm a mouthy, coffee-addicted woman anymore."

"Oh, I still think that." He chuckled, leaning his forehead over against hers. "But I love your mouth, even when it's coffee-flavored, so it's all right." He gently kissed her lips.

"And pretty? Do you still think I'm pretty?" she demanded coquettishly.

"I think you're gorgeous." He kissed her again, not as softly.

"Mmm. So we can start the smooching now?" Lorelai asked, her eyes closed.

"What? Um, no, not yet." Luke drew back away from her, away from the temptation her lips offered. "Still have some talking to do."

Lorelai looked annoyed. "Seriously?"

"I want to do this today, because it's the anniversary of the day you and Rory came into my life."

"Do what?"

One more deep breath, and then Luke, holding tight to Lorelai's hand, slipped off the fallen tree, and placed one knee on the grass in front of her.

"God – Luke, what are you doing?!"

"Rory tells me this is the proper way to do this." He looked straight into her stunned face. "I love you, Lorelai. Will you marry me?"

"Oh, my – Luke! Geez!" Lorelai jumped up and frantically tried to haul him to his feet. "Get up, get up! Stop this!"

"Why?" He scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding.

"Because – because it's too soon!" She was wringing her hands together and turning from one way to the other, not knowing what else to do. "Don't you think it's too soon?"

"Obviously not, since I'm the one who just asked you to marry me," he pointed out curtly.

"Luke, be reasonable! We just started sleeping together – What? – like three weeks ago?"

"And that's the only thing that defines a relationship? Sex?" he asked scathingly.

"No, of course not. But in our case, that was our turning point. That's when we became a couple."

"Then what were we this whole past year?"

"I don't know! Friends?"

Luke snorted his contempt at that.

"Whatever we were, we weren't together. Come on, Luke, you have to admit that!"

"Lorelai, we were more together this past year than –" He broke off, shaking his head. "Do you think I didn't love you until the first night we slept together?"

That stopped her anxious pacing. Slowly she turned to look at him. "No," she said quietly.

"Damn right."

"But –"

"No buts. I loved you for months, Lorelai. Maybe even back when I thought you were just an annoying, coffee-addicted woman with a gorgeous mouth, I already loved you. I just didn't know how to handle the way I felt about you. I didn't know how to admit it."

Exhausted, Lorelai plopped back down on the log. "I love you too, but this is just too soon."

"Why?" he doggedly demanded, hands on hips in front of her. "After this last year we probably know each other better than 99% of any other couples getting married. Why is it too soon?"

Tiredly she closed her eyes. "It just _is_."

He sat down beside her. "Is it me? You still have doubts about me?"

"Luke, no. Of course not."

"Then what? Is it you? You think that maybe there's somebody else out there you should be with, somebody like –"

"Luke, stop!" she snapped, putting her hand over his mouth. "I love you. You know I love you. I will love you tomorrow, next week, the rest of my life. No, I don't have any doubts about us."

He stayed quiet after she removed her hand, studying her. "Then let me ask you this," he began, a minute or so later. "How do you see us in the future?"

"What do you mean?"

"Five years from now. Are we together?"

She looked perplexed. "Of course."

"Married?"

"Um, yeah, I guess. Sure." She shrugged, trying to appear unruffled.

"Kids?"

An almost shy smile tugged at her mouth. "Kids would be good, yeah."

"Because I have to tell you, I thought we were on the same page here. From what we said before, I thought that we both knew we'd get married. I thought we wanted to start a family."

"Well, eventually, sure."

He shook his head. "Not in some far-off, make-believe future. Soon."

"Luke –"

"No. No more months of being in limbo. I feel like we wasted so much of this past year, and I don't want to waste another one. We finally figured it all out, and I think this part of our life together should start as soon as possible."

Lorelai laughed, but sounded exasperated. "What's gotten into you? Where's my cautious guy? I'm the poster child for leaping right in without considering the consequences, not you!"

"There are no consequences. Besides, you're the one who sang that damn cowboy song to me!"

She put up her hands. "Cowboy song?"

"Eagles. _Desperado._ Telling me I'd better let somebody love me before it's too late. Well, I don't want it to be too late. I want it happening soon."

She was now looking more amused than freaked out, and he sensed she was close to capitulating. He suddenly thought of one more piece of ammunition he carried. He reached for his wallet.

"Oh, this is interesting. You're going to bribe me now?"

He handed her the small piece of newsprint.

She looked at it and then looked at him, her eyes dancing. "I remember this!" she chortled. "I can't believe you saved this!"

"You told me to."

"I did?"

"Yes. You told me to put it in my wallet. You said it would bring me luck."

"Well. I will say anything for a cup of coffee, won't I?" Lorelai mused softly, obviously touched by the ragged horoscope she held in her hand. "And you did it? You put it in your wallet?"

"Not right away," Luke admitted. "But I put it behind the counter, someplace where I could find it again."

She nodded absently, lightly running a finger over the lines she'd written around the tattered edge.

"Do you want to know when I did put it in my wallet?"

She nodded, eagerly this time.

"Father's Day. I spent the day with Rory, and I talked to you first on the phone, and then again at the Inn. I knew…When I got back to the diner that night, I knew everything had changed. When we talked at the Inn, I felt…Well, some sort of connection between us. Something that I knew wasn't going away."

"Yeah." Lorelai smiled pensively. "Me too. I felt it too."

"So as soon as I got back to the diner, I found the horoscope and put it in my wallet, just like you told me to. I hoped it really would bring me luck." He put his hand under her chin and raised her face for a kiss. "And it did."

"That's nice," she sighed, handing the horoscope to him for further safekeeping in his wallet. "You really should have led with that story."

He chuckled as he put it back away. "Yeah, I guess so."

"When you reached for your pocket, I thought maybe you had a ring in there," she teased him, never considering that was the truth.

He pushed two fingers into the watch pocket of his jeans and fished out the ring, thoroughly enjoying the shock on her face when he held it in front of her.

"Oh, Luke, you didn't? You bought a ring? I can't believe you actually…" Her protests faded away. "That is…God, really a stunning ring."

"You like it?"

"It's…beautiful. Just… _so_ beautiful."

"Good. Rory thinks so."

Her mood changed in an instant. "Rory? _Rory_ knows about this?"

"Rory helped me pick out the ring."

She sprang off of the log and started pacing again. "Luke, honestly, I don't know how I feel about that. Am I mad? Maybe. Maybe I'm mad. I don't like you talking to her about something so major before you talk to me. You can't just make these decisions on your own. We need to approach her together, or let me talk to her first. You can't –"

"Hey!" He jumped up too, and grabbed her by her shoulders, stopping her panicky movements. "This wasn't something I could do without checking with Rory first. I needed to make sure she was OK with it. I wasn't going to ask you to marry me unless I knew it met with her approval. I don't want to do anything that's going to upset her life, Lorelai."

She sucked in a big breath of air and then fumbled for her seat back on the fallen log. "I'm just so confused!" she wailed, burying her head in her hands.

"What's confusing you?" Luke asked patiently, sitting down beside her yet again.

She raised her head, turning to look at him. "This! You!" She lightly smacked his chest. "This is what I've wanted forever, to find a guy who would love my kid and care about her as much as he loves and cares about me."

"You've got him," Luke said quietly, holding back to see what she'd say next.

"I _know_ , and I love you for that. And I know she loves you and you love her, and I'm incredibly thankful that's the way it's worked out. But I never considered that bringing you into her life would mean that I'd have to let go of her some, that I wouldn't be the only one making decisions for her – I hadn't really thought about that. About how it would work in reality."

"I don't – I don't expect you to let go of her," he protested, a little horrified.

"No, Luke, it's not a bad thing. At least, I don't think so." She looked off into the distance, talking slowly, as if she was working through the problem and explaining it to both of them as she figured it out. "It's just something I hadn't contemplated – you going to her about something before you talked to me – and it sort of threw me. We'll need to discuss it more, I think, to make some guidelines, so we know in the future how we'll handle things with her. But of course you'll be in charge of her when I'm not around, and that will probably include making decisions on your own sometime. Of course that's the way it will be." She nodded decisively.

Luke shook his head doubtfully. "And you're sure you're OK with that?"

"Yes."

"You're sure? Because I don't want to –"

"Luke, yes, I'm sure. You're in our lives forever, and yes, you have the right to talk to her about anything. I trust you completely with her." She nodded firmly again, as if she was reassuring herself.

"And you understand why I told her about this? You see why I needed to get her blessing before I asked you to get married?"

"Yeah, it makes sense, especially in this circumstance. I do understand. You are my cautious guy, Luke." She smiled at him, loving approval shining in her eyes. "I know how much you want to protect Rory. I understand why you cleared it with her first."

"OK. Good." He leaned back a little, trying to find a way to relax on the unyielding bark.

"I guess Rory was in favor of it?"

"Yep. 100% positive."

"Good to know." Lorelai leaned back a little bit too, and quiet settled between them for a few moments.

"Luke?"

"What?"

"Could I…Could I maybe see the ring again?"

He straightened up, fighting a grin. He'd slipped the ring over his pinkie finger to keep it safe during their spirited discussion and now he held it in front of her face.

She looked at it longingly. "It's _so_ pretty." Cautiously she touched the diamond, watched it sparkle as the setting sun hit it. "Could I try it on, just to see?"

"Nope."

She turned swiftly to look at him, irritated. "No? Why not?"

"Not unless you say yes."

She huffed out a breath and then pouted. "I know if I said I needed time to think about it, you'd give me time to think about it."

"Of course I would. I want you to be sure."

"Exactly. So what if I just, you know, wear the ring while I make up my mind? Just to get used to it?"

"No way. Not until you say yes."

Her pout became more pronounced, and he pushed aside the intense desire to kiss it right off her face.

"You're mean."

"Yep," he agreed.

She looked off to the side for a few moments, contemplating. "So…maybe you should ask me again," she suggested begrudgingly.

He didn't bother with the knee business this time. Instead he cradled her face in his hands, looking straight into her beautiful sapphire eyes. "Lorelai, I love you. I want to marry you, and live with you, and take care of you and Rory. I want us to be a real family, not only with Rory, but with more kids, too. I want that with my whole heart, so please, will you marry me?"

She was smiling but also blinking back tears. "Yes," she whispered.

He pulled her against him in a crushing hug, relieved and exhilarated. "Are you just saying that to get the ring?" he asked her gruffly.

"No. I'm saying that to get you," she explained, with a quaver in her voice.

He held her even tighter. "I love you."

She sniffed. "I know. I love you too."

He sighed and released her. "Then let's make this official." He held her left hand and carefully pushed the band over her ring finger to its resting spot, supposedly where a direct line ran to her heart.

"Oh," she breathed out. She leaned against him, holding out her hand and twisting it back and forth, so that they could both enjoy the pretty thing on her finger. "Look at it sparkle! Luke, it's perfect! I love it."

"You're perfect," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

Reluctantly she tore her gaze from the ring and turned to him. "So is it finally time for a little smooching now?"

"I think it's time for a lot of smooching now."

"Ooh, see, that's another reason why I love you. You have really good ideas." She leaned in, stopping just shy of his mouth. "But check the time. We don't want to miss our curfew with Mrs. Kim."

"No, we do not. We definitely don't want scary Korean ladies out looking for us."

Lorelai giggled. "That would probably be a bad omen."

"Probably, yes." Luke didn't want to think about Mrs. Kim any more. He wanted to kiss the woman who was going to be his wife.

After a few minutes he pulled away, unsatisfied. "Are you looking at your ring while we're kissing?" he asked incredulously.

"No, of course not. Not me." Lorelai shook her head vigorously. "Well, maybe. Just a little. I mean, it's so beautiful, I really can't help it." She flourished it in front of his face. "See?"

Luke blew out a breath, exasperated, and pulled her into his lap. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to keep you so occupied that you'll forget about the ring."

"I'm not sure you can… _Oh_! Mmm…OK, that's… _Ooooh_ , Babe… _Yeah_ ," she sighed.

* * *

Sadly, they were late to pick up Rory after all.


	2. Mean Girls and Chinese Food

**A/N:** I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome back. It was great to see so many familiar names! I'm trying to devote my time to churning these chapters out in a more consistent pattern, so forgive me if I don't respond as frequently to your reviews. They are very much appreciated!

* * *

 **Mean Girls and Chinese Food**

By Wednesday, most of the hoopla over the sudden engagement was beginning to fade. Luke was still getting some ribbing over his apparently impulsive proposal, but he knew that most of it was meant to be good-natured. The Stars Hollow residents who had watched him grow up were just happy to see him settle down with Lorelai, as evidenced by their fond teasing and genuine good wishes.

"I say, Luke! I hear congratulations are in order," Phil the postman called out, striding towards the counter with an armload of mail. He put the mail down and reached out to shake Luke's hand heartily. "I had a feeling it was just a matter of time. Well done, sir, well done!"

Phil had a tendency to talk as if he was in a midst of a British drama, but since this was Stars Hollow, everyone tolerated it without comment.

"Thanks Phil. Appreciate it," Luke replied, extricating his hand as soon as possible.

"When's the happy day?"

"No date set yet. Just asked her on Sunday."

"Well, my recommendation is to get those invitations out as soon as possible. Too many couples wait until the last moment and then they're frightfully disappointed when people send regrets. Lorelai will surely be a dazzling bride, and I dare say that no one will want to miss seeing her walk down the aisle! Therefore, don't dawdle with the mailings."

"Good advice," Luke said, trying to act like he gave a damn.

"Congratulations again. I'll convey the same guidance to Lorelai when I see her at the Inn," Phil said, turning to leave.

Luke gave a half-hearted wave and began looking through the pile of circulars and bills. Underneath all of the usual stuff he found a cardboard mailer, the upper edge of it lined with exotic stamps. It looked slightly worn, as if it had journeyed from half a world away.

"Oh, for God's sake." He took off his hat and rubbed his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. "Why does this have to happen now?"

His once bright day had turned considerably murkier.

* * *

"I'm here!" Lorelai announced brightly, entering the diner with a spring in her step. She put her left hand up in the air and twirled it about. "Who hasn't seen my ring yet?"

The half-dozen people eating a late lunch smiled at her indulgently, but only Babette took her up on her offer.

"Come over here, Doll, I'll look at that killer ring anytime!"

Lorelai pranced over and soon the two of them were giggling and casting sly looks his way, which did nothing to soothe Luke's already jangled nerves.

Finally Lorelai came up to the counter, leaning over to give him a quick kiss. As soon as she landed back on her feet she gave him a mystified look, as if she could already tell something wasn't right.

"Do you have time to come upstairs for a minute?" he asked quietly.

She looked like she was struggling not to make a quip, but after studying his face, she merely nodded. "For a minute or two, sure."

They said nothing on the way up the stairs, which told Luke that Lorelai was already apprehensive.

He opened the apartment door and motioned for her to enter.

"What's up?" she wanted to know, her usual bubbliness muted.

He sighed and moved over to the table. "You got something in the mail today."

At that, her face lit up and she eagerly joined him at the table. "You got me something?"

He shook his head and handed her the international mailer.

Still smiling, Lorelai tipped her head at him, trying to puzzle out what was going on, but soon she switched her attention to the flat parcel in her hand. She ran a finger over the bright line of stamps before her eyes flitted to the return address. Her happiness vanished in an instant.

"Rachel? This is from Rachel?"

Luke nodded.

"Why would she send anything to me?"

"I don't know."

"Why would she send it to me, here, at the diner?"

"I don't know."

Lorelai was becoming more and more agitated. She gingerly tossed the package back on the table, as if it might be plague-infested. "What is it?"

"Lorelai, I don't know."

"Why don't you know?" she burst out. "She's your ex!"

"I think the 'ex' part might explain why I don't know anything about this," Luke said, managing to keep his voice steady, even if he didn't feel that way at all.

"I know, I know." Lorelai was pacing, looking anguished. "That was mostly a rhetorical question. It's just – God! Why would she do this?"

Luke didn't try to answer this time.

She stopped pacing and came back to the table, staring down at the legal-sized package. "Nothing says we have to open it, right? Couldn't we just – I don't know – bury it in the backyard or something?"

He didn't respond.

"We could blow it up with fireworks on the 4th of July. Or – or we could throw it in the lake. We could give it to Kirk and tell him it's a bomb and he has ten seconds to defuse it." She looked over at him, suddenly hopeful. "We could just write 'return to sender' on it and be done with it, couldn't we?"

Luke looked at her levelly. "If that's what you want."

She met his eyes, sighing after a moment. "Oh, all right," she grumbled. She picked the package back up, and after a slight pause to build up her courage, she turned it over and ripped off the perforated strip across the end.

Lorelai bravely put her hand into the large envelope while Luke held his breath. Slowly she pulled out what looked to be nothing more than a sturdy piece of glossy paper, but as soon as she glanced at it, she let out a cry of pain, dropped it, and ran to the windows facing the street, her arms crossed protectively across her chest.

He started after her immediately, pausing only to pick up the item that had caused such distress from the floor. He needed to see what it was before he attempted to comfort her. Flipping it over, he was relieved to see it was only the picture of himself and Rory, taken the night of Rachel's brother's wedding.

And, he couldn't help but note with satisfaction, the picture was just as good as he had suspected it would be.

She was trembling when he put his arms around her from behind. "Hey, what's got you so upset?"

Lorelai started to lean against him, but then she saw he held the photo. "This!" she spat out, flicking her fingernail hard enough against the photo paper that he lost his grip on it and it fell to the floor again.

"You don't like it?" He bent to pick it up again, his ego bruised.

"I _hate_ it!" Lorelai raged.

Luke chanced another glance at the picture. "Why?" he asked, as his usually nonexistent vanity took another hit.

" _Why?"_ Lorelai broke away from him and started to pace again. "Because it reminds me of one of the worst moments of my life, that's why!" She turned on her heel and glared at him, throwing up her hands. "Why would she _do_ this to me? Why would she be this mean?"

Luke paused, wetting his lips as he considered a response. "I don't think she's trying to be mean. That's not really Rachel's way, Lorelai."

Lorelai snorted her contempt. "Yeah, well…!" She motioned angrily at the picture, emphasizing her opposing viewpoint.

"Tell me why you don't like it," Luke suggested. He put the picture face-up on the coffee table, then took a seat on the couch.

Reluctantly, Lorelai joined him there, sitting on the very edge of the cushion beside him. She stared down at the photo. "It's just – I remember…" Her eyes teared up and she put a hand over her heart.

"Go on," Luke encouraged. He put his arm around her again.

She let out a quivering sigh. "You and I…We'd just – had a conversation. A…a moment. You'd told me that everything was OK, that you wanted to take me into some dark corner and do unspeakable things to me."

In spite of the tension, Luke grinned. "I'm not sure I used exactly those words, but OK. Close enough."

"And then I walked out of the kitchen, looking for you, and I see _this_!" Her voice took on an anguished edge. "Here you are, holding _my_ kid –" Her finger tapped anxiously against the picture, where his arms were around Rory, "– and yet you're looking at Rachel like _that_!" Her finger moved to his face in the picture, giving it a punishing flick with her fingernail, before breaking away from him and moving further down the couch. Her arms hugged her chest again.

" _That's_ what you think?" he asked, stunned.

"Worst moment of my life, Luke," she said in a quiet, tormented voice. "It stays stuck in the back of my mind. I don't need to see it printed out in black and white, because it's always there."

"First off – I don't like hearing you're still brooding over Rachel and worrying about anything that happened that night."

" _Brooding?"_ Lorelai sneered.

"And second – let me tell you how wrong you are about this picture."

"Oh, yeah, that's a good beginning. Tell me that I'm wrong. That'll definitely get you back on my good side."

Luke ignored her. "Look, you're right about what had happened earlier. We'd had our…moment together and I _was_ looking forward to finding a way to get you away from your duties, if I could, later on. When I went to see Rory, she snookered me into sitting at the kids' table with her." He chanced inching a little closer to her and put a hand on her knee, making her turn to look at him. "I want you to think about that, Lorelai. Me, sitting with a bunch of sticky-handed, runny-nosed kids. Usually that's the sort of thing I have nightmares about."

Lorelai's pout grudgingly turned into a half-smile.

"Anyway, I played cars with this one little boy, and I helped a little girl, Madison, line up her crayons. I wiped up cake crumbs and fed them goldfish crackers. And…" He took a breath, trying to think how to do justice to his experience that night. "I didn't die. I wasn't annoyed. In fact, I had fun. And while I was sitting there with the kids, with Rory, it all just made sense to me, that this was exactly where I wanted to be. I was happy. I could admit finally, to myself, that for sure this was what I wanted."

"Snotty, sticky kids?" Lorelai interjected.

"With you, yes."

Her eyebrows went up into peaks. "I therefore nominate you to be in charge of any and all stickiness and snottiness, should we have offspring."

He waved a dismissive hand at her, wanting to continue with his explanation. "It was sort of a…a golden moment for me, do you understand? The happiness, and Rory, and feeling like everything was settled in my brain. Like I could finally _see_ exactly what I wanted."

Lorelai was looking at him intently. "OK," she said quietly. "Go on."

"Well, Rory leaned back against me, and I hugged her, because the way I felt – the happiness I was feeling – it was almost overwhelming. And then – you know the way you can sense, sometimes, if someone's watching you?"

She nodded.

"That's how I felt, like someone was watching us. And right away I realized it was because Rachel was taking our picture." He reached over and pointed at the photo. "This picture. And I knew – you have to admit it, Lorelai, Rachel is a hell of a photographer. I _knew_ this picture was going to be the best one she'd ever taken."

Lorelai sucked in a small breath, as if she was going offer an argument. But instead she glanced at the photo and then barely nodded, as if even that slight movement pained her greatly.

"So this look on my face –" He moved his finger up, pointing at himself, "– is not me looking at Rachel like that. That was me thinking about how thrilled you were going to be when you saw this picture. It's _you_ that's causing that look, Lorelai, not Rachel."

For some long minutes after he finished speaking, Lorelai said nothing. She breathed in and out – rather deliberately, it seemed to him – and moved her head so she could see past him, to the picture displayed on the low table before them.

"It is a good picture," she finally admitted, subdued.

"Do you believe me? About what I was thinking about?"

"Oh, Luke." She reached for his hand and he grasped it eagerly. "I know you don't lie, so if you say that's what it was, then of course I have to believe that it had nothing to do with Rachel."

"Good," he muttered.

"But you also have to understand, that to me…" She shook her head. "I still feel what I felt. I can't help that. When I saw you, saw this look…" She pointed at the picture again. "It tore me in two. It _hurt_. Seeing it now…it still hurts. Maybe someday that will fade away, but right now…it still hurts."

Luke continued to hold her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles, occasionally bumping into the engagement ring on her finger. "OK," he said, after a small spell of silence. "Fair enough." He decisively leaned over and flipped the picture over. "It goes away until if and when you decide it can come out."

"You don't mind? I mean, it _is_ a good shot of the two of you. Rory looks like sweetness personified, and you are all kinds of hot." She was doing her best to get back into their normal bantering mode, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it yet.

"I don't want anything around that's going to cause you pain, ever." He jumped off the couch, swiped the picture from the coffee table, and marched over to the cardboard mailer. His intention was to stick the offending photo back inside and shove the whole thing into a drawer somewhere, where neither of them would have to think about it again for a long, long time.

"There's something else in here," he observed, as he picked up the big envelope and felt something shift inside it. He reached in and pulled out a small stack of photos. "More pictures," he said, holding them out for Lorelai to see.

"Oh goody," she groused, dragging her feet as she came to join him. "Let's see how many more times she can stomp on my heart."

Wordlessly, Luke pointed at the top picture in the pile.

Lorelai gasped, but this time in a good way. "Aww, Rory! That picture is adorable!"

Rachel had posed Rory in front of the table displaying the wedding cake. Rory's dress-up shoes were turned toe-in and her hands were clasped tightly together, giving a clue to the awkwardness she was feeling, but her face was beaming with a shy, yet proud smile. The picture was Rory in a nutshell.

Luke chuckled. "I've seen that look on her face a million times."

Lorelai ducked in front of him, to see it better. "A million and one times, at least." She tentatively touched the photo and it slipped to the side, revealing the one underneath.

This time, they both gasped.

"You're right, she's a great photographer," Lorelai murmured, drinking in the second picture of her daughter.

"She is," Luke said gruffly, bending enough to drop a kiss to the top of Lorelai's head. "But then, look what she had to work with."

This picture had been taken without Rory's awareness. She was leaning against a doorway, obviously enchanted by something occurring just out of sight. Light was reflected in her eyes and her mouth was half open in delight. Luke was certainly no art expert, but it seemed to him that he could imagine this picture blown up and hanging in a museum somewhere, with a curator explaining how the photographer had managed to catch the subject just as she was ready to step out of her girlhood and enter the adult world just beyond the doorway.

He shook his head. Where had _that_ thought come from?

"Gorgeous," Lorelai was whispering. "Look at my gorgeous girl."

"This one we keep out, right?" he questioned cautiously.

She looked at him as if he was insane. "This one goes right on the mantel, forever."

"OK," he smiled, agreeing wholeheartedly.

They both burst out laughing at the next picture.

"So this is what goes on in the kitchen at the Inn?" he commented dryly.

"I had no idea Rachel was in there!" Lorelai chuckled.

In the picture, Lorelai and Sookie faced off in a mock duel, each holding tiny icing-loaded spatulas as if they were light sabers. Both were laughing uproariously. Sookie already had icing smeared over one cheek. The half-decorated wedding cake was visible in the background.

"I can't wait to show this to Sookie! I wonder if Mia would let us hang it up in the kitchen?"

"I don't know why not." Luke squeezed her shoulders, still smiling at the picture.

"Let's see what's next," Lorelai proposed, sounding more chipper. "Oh… _oh, my God_ …"

The next picture was of them, tucked away in the shadows of the reception, taken as they were having the lighter part of their conversation. His arms were around Lorelai's waist, his head bending down towards her face as she playfully tried to get away. They were smiling and deliciously happy and obviously completely in tune with one another.

"That night…" He had to stop and clear his throat. "You were so beautiful that night. Your hair, that dress. I remember thinking your eyes had never looked so blue. I couldn't stop staring at you."

"Yeah?" Pleased, she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Oh, yeah." He put his arms around her again, almost the way they were in the picture. "I mean, just look at you. How could I possibly resist?"

She snuggled into his arms. "Well, if we need a picture to go with an engagement announcement, I think we've found it."

He kissed her hair again, giving consent to that idea. "What's next?" he wondered.

The last picture effectively knocked away any words they could have used to describe it. They both stared at it, completely shocked by what Rachel had captured.

It had been taken in the very last moment before Michel had intruded upon them. Lorelai was still in his arms, but facing him now. Their lips were almost close enough to kiss, but yet there was enough space between them that the emotions they were feeling were easily readable on both of their faces.

The main emotion for both of them, clearly, was desire. Intense, nearly uncontrollable desire. But there was also, undeniably, love. This picture, most emphatically, was that of a couple in love, in every way possible.

" _Geez_ ," Luke finally sputtered out.

Lorelai gave herself a little shake, as if she'd been in a trance. "This sort of almost makes me blush, so I can only imagine how uncomfortable you are."

Luke shook his head and leaned forward, pointing at his own face in the picture. "I went from this, right here, to that picture of me and Rory. _This_ is what I was thinking about when Rachel took that other shot. Do you understand what I was trying to explain now?"

Lorelai sighed, leaning back against him, letting him support her. "Yeah, Babe, I understand, but it's still going to take me a little while to adjust my feelings towards it. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you, or if I believe you or not. I just need some time to pass, to maybe get some distance from it, OK? Let me get a different perspective on it."

He nodded, able to live with that. He turned her around in his arms and kissed her. "You know how much I love you, right?"

She nuzzled against him. "Yeah, I have the photographic proof of that now."

"We're good then?"

"All good." She pulled away and looked at the mailer. "Was that all of them?"

"I think so." He reached for it and gave it a shake, dislodging a piece of stationery. "Letter," he said unnecessarily, as they both looked warily at the pale blue paper. He looked at it closer. "To you," he said, pushing it towards her.

Lorelai groaned, but picked the paper up. "Dear Lorelai," she began, but then stopped, and her eyes flew down the page. At the end she looked at him uncertainly, then began reading again.

"Dear Lorelai, I apologized to Luke at the end of our trip, but later I realized it was you who really deserved an apology. I'm so sorry that I tried to take him away from you and Rory. Of course, 'tried' is the operative word there. I couldn't ever have really taken him away. He's all in with you, there's no doubt about that. All you have to do is look at that last picture in the package. And for the record, if I had developed the film immediately and laid eyes on that picture sooner, I never would have tried to rekindle anything between us at all. I would have known it was a lost cause.

"I want to reassure you as well that my feelings for Luke, even as I was begging him to go away with me, weren't really romantic anymore. I can easily admit that now. I do love the guy, and probably always will, but it's no longer an 'in love' thing, and since you're a woman too, I'll trust that you'll understand the difference. I hope that the two of you have many, many years of happiness, and I mean that with all my heart.

"Please forgive me for trying to wreck all of our lives, and thank you for having such faith in Luke, and thank you for letting us have the time we needed to sort everything out. I wasn't around you much, but I have the feeling that I'd like you a lot if we'd met under different circumstances. In fact, I think you're probably pretty amazing, and I understand why Luke fell in love with you.

"Wishing you all the best, Rachel.

"P.S. If you need a photographer for another wedding someday, let me know."

Lorelai breathed deeply as she folded up the letter. Carefully, she put it back in the cardboard mailer, along with all the pictures. "You're right. She's not mean."

Luke moved close to her and kissed her gently on her forehead. "No, she's not."

She turned his arm over, looking at his father's watch. "Ugh, I need to get back to the Inn."

Luke was shocked to see how much time had passed. "Yeah, I better get back downstairs. Let me throw something to-go in a bag for you."

"No, not today." Lorelai grimaced, rubbing her stomach. "Better let my system get settled down first. I'll go to the kitchen later and scrounge up something."

"You're sure? I hate to send you back to work with nothing."

"Don't worry, Sookie may not be in love with me, but she won't let me starve." Lorelai took a look around, preparing to leave. "Hey, can you bring the pictures over with you tonight? I don't want to chance bending them or damaging them somehow if I take them with me now."

"Sure, I can do that." Luke paused. "So…you want me to bring _all_ the pictures?"

Lorelai looked at him steadily. "Bring them all, yes. But they might not all be displayed prominently, at least not right away."

"Got it." Luke leaned in to kiss her goodbye. "I love you."

"Love you too, Babe." She smiled at him tenderly and went out the door.

Luke started to leave too, but instead he went over and took the pictures out of the envelope again, just to see them one more time, just to see with his own eyes how much she loved him.

* * *

"Wait!" Lorelai called out frantically.

Luke and Rory, both in the middle of reaching for a door handle on opposite sides of the car, froze.

Lorelai rushed to Luke's side, as fast as she could in her black high heels. She put her hand on his tie, frowning. "Should we go with the gray one after all?"

"You make me change this tie one more time, and I swear Lorelai, I won't wear one at all," Luke growled, batting her hand away.

"OK, OK," she said, but her eyes were still darting over the blue silk tie. "Maybe if we went with a pattern?"

"Get in the car," he begged.

Lorelai went over to the driver's side, scrutinizing Rory once she got there. "And you! Slouch down or something."

"What? Why?" Rory shot Luke a look of concern.

"Because you've had a growth spurt, and I'm sure somehow that's going to be my fault, too."

"Mom." Rory's voice bathed that word in patience. "Don't worry so much. It'll be fine, you'll see."

" _Ha!"_ Lorelai scoffed. But she got in the car and checked the mirrors, preparing to back out of the driveway.

Luke didn't want to add even more pressure, but all the same, he had his own worries about what the evening might bring. "Are you sure you shouldn't have told them ahead of time about us?"

"We'll tell them tonight," Lorelai said coolly, driving them down the street. "It'll give us something to talk about."

"Boy, that's for sure," Rory muttered from the backseat.

"Hush up, you in the peanut gallery," Lorelai warned, giving her daughter a look in the rearview mirror.

"Are you keeping your ring on?" Luke wanted to know.

She glanced at her hand, moving it slightly so that the diamond sparkled. "Of course I am."

"Your mother sees that ring and it's all over."

Lorelai shrugged. "If she sees it, we'll talk about it then. I'm not going to hide it."

"OK," Luke acquiesced, holding out his hands. "You know best." But in his churning gut, he didn't believe that at all. He turned to look at Rory, whose face seemed to be reflecting his own anxiety back at him.

* * *

"Wow, this place hasn't changed at all," Lorelai observed, parking in the lot of Wu's Chinese Restaurant in Hartford about thirty minutes later.

"So you came here a lot when you were a kid?" Rory asked, climbing out of the back.

"Yeah, a couple of times a month. It was one of the few places we could all agree on. There was steak for Dad, shrimp for Mom, and plenty of deep-fried goodness for me."

Before they got to the door, Lorelai stopped them again. "Spot check," she ordered, looking over everyone's attire, hair, and shoes one more time. "OK. Here we go," she said grimly, motioning for Luke to open the door.

"Hello, Miss Gilmore. So good to see you again."

"Mr. Lee?" Lorelai smiled brightly at the gentleman standing at the door to the dining room. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe you're still here! Yes, it's good to see you, too."

Mr. Lee smiled genially at them before indicating that they should all follow him. "Your parents are already here," he told Lorelai.

"Of course they are," she said under her breath.

"Look at the fish!" Rory ran to a wall-sized fish tank, stopping just short of pressing her face up against it.

"Rory, later!" Lorelai insisted, putting an arm around her and urging her forward.

The Gilmores greeted them as they approached the table. Richard stood up and came around to shake Luke's hand. Next, he tentatively put his hand on top of Rory's head, something in-between a tousle and a pat.

"I think you've gotten taller," he theorized, smiling with pride.

"It's possible," Rory conceded. She took off her headband, shook her head, then replaced it, undoing the damage caused by Richard's awkwardly affectionate greeting.

"We're glad you're finally here," Emily said, as they all took their seats. "We were beginning to worry you'd gotten lost." Although her words voiced concern, her tone left no doubt of their true meaning.

"Yes, sorry," Lorelai said with a false sweetness, instantly matching her mother's fake concern. "I know we're a few minutes late. Luke couldn't decide which tie to wear."

Luke looked down, pretending to place the napkin in his lap, hiding his face as he contemplated throttling his fiancée later in the evening. But when he looked up, he saw her dancing eyes and the partner-in-crime smile on her mouth and knew that he'd forgive her anything, always, as long as she looked at him like that.

"Yes," he finally said flatly, "there's nothing more difficult than picking out the right tie."

"That's so true," Richard chimed in, seemingly unaware of anything else transpiring at the table. "I've found that your tie sets the tone for the rest of the day. It pays to get that right."

Mr. Lee returned with a pot of tea, delicate blue and white china cups for all of them, and a steaming platter of petite dumplings.

"Compliments of the kitchen," he said, placing the items on the table. "In honor of your family reunion." He smiled at Lorelai, Luke, and Rory.

"Aw, Mr. Lee! Thank you," Lorelai told him, sincerely touched by the gesture.

Rory took great pleasure in her own tiny cup of tea. She carefully stirred in a spoonful of sugar and sipped it slowly. Then Richard showed her how to use chopsticks to pick up one of the tasty dumplings, much to her delight.

While the conversation didn't exactly flow between the five of them, it wasn't stilted, either. They discussed what Rory was doing at school and chatted about some of the places Luke had visited during his trip. Lorelai told an energetic story about Sookie getting her apron stuck in a pasta maker, and dutifully asked her mother about her D.A.R. plans.

By then Mr. Lee was back to collect the used plates and take their dinner orders. Before he could leave again, Richard held up his hand.

"Rory, I've arranged a special evening for you."

"What?" Rory looked intrigued.

"Mr. Lee has agreed to take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the restaurant, and I do believe that includes that magnificent aquarium."

"Really? Cool!" Rory bounced a little bit in her seat. "When? Now?"

"Ooh, lucky!" Lorelai pretended to grouse. "That was always my favorite part of coming here. Hey, can I go too?"

"No, Lorelai, I'm afraid you're stuck with the adults now."

"Darn," Lorelai grumbled. But she reached over and briefly squeezed Luke's hand, apparently not completely disappointed that she got to stay there with him.

Once Rory left the table, the conversation quickly dried up.

Lorelai cleared her throat. "Well," she began, looking at Luke. "There's something we wanted to tell you, and this is probably a good time."

Emily cut in, a bit frostily. "I assume it has something to do with that ring on your finger?"

Lorelai glanced over at him with a knowing smile, seemingly telling him, _'You called that right.'_ She held her hand out towards her parents. "You clever people, you figured it out! Yes, Luke and I are going to get married."

Luke didn't expect wild enthusiasm, but he thought that Lorelai's parents would at least offer congratulations. Instead, the announcement was met with stony silence.

"Guess we caught you by surprise, huh?" Lorelai said lightly, but Luke could hear the hurt lurking behind her words. "Well, get in line. We managed to shock the whole town, and trust me, when you live in the same town as Kirk Gleason, that's hard to do."

Richard folded his hands in front of him on the table and leaned forward. "Luke, this extensive trip from which you've recently returned, your traveling companion was a young woman of your acquaintance, correct?"

Luke groaned inwardly, seeing at once where this was headed. "Yes, but –"

"That really wasn't Luke's idea," Lorelai hurried to add. "I'm the one –"

Richard continued as if neither of them had spoken. "From what we were told by your friends on the evening of your return, it was once expected that you and that young woman would be married."

Luke desperately tried to find a suitable response. "Yes, but –"

"Luke didn't even want to go on the trip!" Lorelai insisted. "I was the one –"

"So I'm sure you can see why Emily and I are concerned." Richard sat back in his chair, but kept penetrating eyes on Luke. "You spend weeks with an old flame, then come home and almost instantly propose to our daughter. We can't help but wonder how long this so-called engagement will last, if your dalliances run this hot and cold."

"Now, just a minute here," Luke began, feeling the first drops of anger percolating through him.

"You have that all wrong," Lorelai said firmly. She sat forward and put her hand on Luke's arm, as if she was trying to shield him from her father's accusations. "Before the trip, before Rachel came back, Luke told me that he was committed to me. I was the one who got cold feet."

Emily scoffed. "Whoever would have dreamed, Lorelai, that you'd balk at commitment?"

Lorelai's cheeks flushed with resentment and her grip on Luke tightened. "I wanted Luke and Rachel to have the time to make sure their relationship was truly over. You should be happy, Mom, to know that I was the one holding back instead of blindly jumping into the middle of something. If Luke was going to choose me, I wanted to make sure he did it with his eyes fully open."

"And you need to understand, I had no doubt it was Lorelai," Luke swiftly added. "Over this past year we'd gotten really close, had really built up a strong friendship. I knew I wanted a life with her, but Rachel came back at the worst possible time, and to satisfy her worries, I went away in order to prove my commitment to Lorelai."

He stopped talking abruptly. Emily and Richard continued to scrutinize him with almost open disdain.

"I know that sounds a little crazy," he added desperately.

"But it's the truth," Lorelai continued. "Luke went away with Rachel so that I could see how much he wanted to be with me. He's such a homebody, going away from his comfort zone was like torture for him. But yet he did it, just to confirm to me that there really wasn't anything left to salvage in his old relationship with Rachel."

Luke nodded in agreement and attempted to expound. "I didn't like it, but I didn't want Lorelai to have any doubts about how I felt about Rachel, or about how I felt about her. And even though I was supposed to be away for three weeks, I came home in two. I couldn't stand to be away from Lorelai or Rory for even a day longer."

Emily pounced. "Yes, let's talk about that."

Lorelai frowned. "Talk about what?"

"Your influence on Rory." Emily glared at Luke. "It's obvious she idolizes you."

Luke glanced at Lorelai, puzzled. "The feeling's mutual, I can assure you of that."

Emily's glare turned to Lorelai. "And you think that's a good thing?"

"That my fiancé and my daughter like each other?" Lorelai asked mockingly. "Yeah, Mom, I think that's pretty great."

"It's possible you're not seeing the big picture here, Lorelai," Richard said with a tone of condescension. "What happens if your relationship with Luke doesn't work out?"

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence there, Dad." Lorelai shook her head, half in sorrow, half in anger.

"That was actually Lorelai's biggest concern," Luke interjected. "During this past year, when we were wrestling with our feelings for each other, that was her big worry, that Rory would somehow get hurt."

"But now I know there's nothing to worry about," Lorelai took up the dialogue again. "Also, I'm not naïve. I know that something completely crazy could come along to make us break up. Like maybe, I dunno, aliens could take over his brain or something." She gave him a quick smile, that co-conspirators' smile again. "But barring that, I don't foresee us ending. And one of the things I love the most about all of this is that Luke and Rory became friends first. They had their relationship put together before I got thrown into the mix. That's why I'm so sure that no matter what happens between us, Luke will never abandon Rory."

"Absolutely," Luke pledged. "As long as she wants me to be in her life, I will be."

Richard leaned forward again, setting Luke in his sights. "Where are you living?"

Luke jumped nervously, guiltily, as if her father had been staking out Lorelai's house every night. "Right now?"

"Now, in the future. Where?"

"Well, right now I live in an apartment above the diner. In the future…?" He shrugged helplessly at Lorelai.

"I assumed we'd live at the house," Lorelai said to him, shrugging as well. "I mean, that's the logical place, right?" She looked at her father. "We really haven't discussed the logistics of this yet."

"Is his name going on the deed to the house?"

"I…" Lorelai looked at Luke blankly. "Sure, I suppose. Again, not something we've considered yet, Dad."

Richard sighed deeply at her, disappointed again. "I assume that house represents most of your nest egg, doesn't it?"

"If you mean did buying it take up most of my savings and does it continue to suck the life out of each and every paycheck, yes it does."

"What I'm trying to point out is that your investment in that house is your financial future. Yours, as well as Rory's. I would hate to see you – and Rory – lose half of it through an ill-advised contract."

"Wow. Once again, you've got us divorced before we can even get married," Lorelai said bitterly.

"No, I get what he means," Luke rushed to stop Lorelai from saying anything else. "I'd want to make sure that Rory is protected, no matter what." He thought intently for a few moments before turning to face Richard. "I have a couple of ideas about how that could work."

"Go on," Richard invited him.

"One solution, once we're married, is that I could pay the mortgage each month instead of Lorelai, until we'd both have the same equity built up in the house."

"And that wouldn't even take into account the amount of sweat equity he's already invested in the place," Lorelai hurried to add. "He's always fixing something, and he never has let me pay for the supplies, let alone his labor."

Richard shook his head. "That still splits the house. I fail to see how that solves the problem."

Luke nodded, ready to explain the rest of his idea. "Then Lorelai could take the money she'd normally be putting towards the mortgage and do something else with it. Maybe put it in an account for Rory. A college fund, maybe."

Lorelai's face brightened. "Yes! We definitely need a college fund for her. Harvard is looming closer every year."

"Or…" Luke was still gnawing his lower lip, thinking of other plans. "I own the building where the diner is, and the apartment and space above it. As far as I'm concerned, that becomes Lorelai's too, once we're married. And after we're married, I certainly don't need the apartment anymore. If we rent that out, we could put the rent money into an account for Rory."

Lorelai squeezed his hand, smiling happily. "I've said it before, but you have great ideas, Hon." She turned towards Richard, still smiling. "Don't worry Dad, we'll figure it out. We just need some time to get used to being engaged and look a little further down the road. This is all still pretty new to us."

Richard sighed again, defeated in the face of young love. "I would suggest that you go to a lawyer, and let him or her help you figure it out. Just make sure that everyone's interests are going to be protected."

"That's actually good advice, Dad." Lorelai turned to Luke thoughtfully. "We should go see a lawyer about some arrangements anyway."

Luke nodded in agreement.

"And what does Christopher have to say about this impending marriage?" Emily wanted to know, as if she could sense the subtext in the lawyer talk.

"Christopher?" Lorelai's mouth puckered up after she'd said his name, as if it had left a bad taste in her mouth. "Why would Chris have anything to say about it?"

"Because he _is_ Rory's father," Emily almost hissed, sounding scandalized. "Or have you forgotten that?"

"Oh, pfft!" Lorelai huffed, waving her hand in the air dismissively. "As if you'd ever let me forget that."

"Lorelai, he has the absolute right to know what's going on in his daughter's life. He certainly _does_ have a say in where she lives and who lives with her."

"Mom, he's _had_ a say for the last eleven years and he's said _nothing_! When are you going to realize that this image you have of Christopher as doting father is only in your head?"

"Maybe if Christopher hadn't had to deal with your _commitment_ issues, Lorelai, things would be different." She turned a disapproving eye Luke's way.

"I don't want to discuss Christopher tonight," Lorelai said with finality, her jaw clenched.

Emily flounced in her seat, giving Luke the impression that she was going to let the matter drop.

He was wrong.

"So you still didn't answer my question. What was his reaction to this engagement?" Emily continued on.

Luke could feel Lorelai steeling herself. "He said nothing, because he doesn't know about it yet."

"And why doesn't he?"

Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut and took a breath, preparing for the battle to come. "He hasn't called since it happened, so he doesn't know."

"Oh, I see. _He_ needs to call you? Your phone only receives incoming calls? _You_ are incapable of calling him?"

Lorelai sighed. "Yes, that's how it's evolved. We let him call us. That seems to work best. Much less disappointment in my household that way."

"I think since you are planning to alter his daughter's life in such a major way, that warrants a call to him at the very least, don't you?" Emily looked very prim and displeased. "Surely even you can see that. It's nothing more than basic, common courtesy, Lorelai."

"Look, we just got engaged on Sunday night, OK? That's not even a week ago!" Lorelai snapped, losing patience. "When he calls next time, I'll tell him! It's not like we're eloping to Vegas tomorrow or anything. Who knows, maybe we'll be engaged forever! Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for your dear Christopher to weigh in!"

"What now?" Luke turned to her, suddenly troubled. "What do you mean, engaged forever?"

Her face was still clouded with anger, but she tried to calm down, for him. "Nothing, Luke. It's just an expression."

Later, Luke didn't know why he just didn't stay quiet. Normally that wasn't a problem for him. He leaned over, closer to her, and tried to talk quietly. "You know that's not our understanding at all. At least, that's not what I thought we'd agreed to. We're getting married as soon as possible, aren't we?"

He could tell she was trying to send him a message through her eyes, but he couldn't decipher it through his overshadowing worry.

"We'll get married when the time is right. That might be soon, it might be later. It just depends. On – on a lot of things. But whenever it is, we'll find it." She sounded like she was placating him.

He felt bewildered, a little hurt, and even slightly angry that she'd let her parents push her around like this. "Whenever? We'll find some magic date?" He shook his head at her, scowling in disappointment. "That's not fine with me at all, Lorelai."

"Why this sudden need to get married?" Richard leaned further over the table, lowering his voice, but looking irritable. "Why is a hurried marriage necessary? Are you pregnant again?" he demanded harshly, pinning a cold gaze on his daughter.

Before either Luke or Lorelai could respond, Emily spoke up, her voice full of scorn. "Richard, please remember that this is _our_ daughter we're talking about. If she was pregnant, there's no way she'd ever agree to actually marry the father."

There was sort of a buzzing all around Luke's head, like bees diving in and out of his ears.

"Luke?" Through the buzzing, Lorelai's voice sounded very far away.

He looked over at her, and then discovered he had to look down too, because for some reason, he was standing up. He had no memory of pushing back his chair and standing up, or even thinking that he needed to do so.

"Luke?" Lorelai said again, sounding even more concerned.

He noticed now that he was looming over the table in sort of a threatening manner, his hands clenched into fists. People at the other tables were beginning to glance over at them, mildly alarmed.

Luke forced his fists to unclench and then fidgeted with the buttons of his suitcoat and straightened out the hated tie. Slowly, he sat back down. Emily and Richard were watching him cautiously, full of disapproval. He leaned towards them, far over the table, fixing them with a cold smile.

"I think I should tell you something. I think you should hear what your granddaughter has to say about you."

Both Emily and Richard started to speak, but Luke used their own trick and just talked over them. "Last year, we ran into you at that bookstore." He pointed at Richard. "Do you remember? Do you remember how Rory hid behind me? That was because she was scared of you."

"Oh, now, I doubt –"

"She was scared," Luke insisted, not pausing. "On the way home I asked her about why she acted the way she did. She said that you're so tall, and so big, and your voice is so loud that no matter where she tries to hide in your intimidating house to get away from it, it follows her. Because of the nasty way you treat your daughter, you've scared that little girl to death."

Richard's skin turned ashen and he looked aghast. Emily, however, bristled. "How dare you presume to know what goes on in our household!"

"And you." He pointed at Emily next. "The only thing she could say about you was that you fight with her mother all the time and she hates it. _Hates_ it," he repeated, coldly. "She doesn't understand why you're so hard on Lorelai, and since she's so tenderhearted, when you berate Lorelai, it hurts Rory just as much."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lorelai whispered, looking stricken as well.

He picked up her clenched hand and swiftly kissed her knuckle, then squeezed it reassuringly. "I'm sorry. I probably should have."

"It's a misunderstanding. Children often don't comprehend what's going on," Emily said airily, trying to dilute what he'd said.

"You know, that's true." He nodded sagely, as if he was agreeing with her. "Now, Rory doesn't fib, doesn't tell lies, but she's a kid, you know? So I figured it was an exaggeration. I mean, I'd heard Lorelai say a few things about her parents, but I didn't know you folks, didn't know the whole story. But now that I've met you, had the pleasure of actually hearing you attack your daughter in person –" He hardened his expression into a glare. "Now I see that she told the absolute truth."

"She's really scared of me?" Richard asked, his normally authoritative voice barely traveling across the table.

"Until that day in the bookstore, yes. Up until then, that was her only impression of you." He looked at them piercingly. "Are those really the memories you want her to grow up with? A cold, unloving house? The two of you yelling at her mother?"

"How dare you lecture us?" Emily was incensed. "You have no idea what's gone on within our family."

"Well there, I think you're wrong. I actually have a pretty good handle on what's gone on." He smiled again, a little kinder this time, with a bit more understanding. "You see, I have a sister, a little younger than I am. She met a guy, a guy that my dad hated. The guy was a loser, no doubt about that, but Liz thought she loved him. She ran off with him, got married, got pregnant – not necessarily in that order. And my dad…" Luke paused briefly, sat back in his chair. "Dad couldn't let it go. Every time Liz was around, Dad had to pester her about what a bad decision she'd made; about how disappointed he was in her. Pretty soon, Liz had had enough of it. She stopped coming around. Luckily, my dad…" Luke stopped again, rubbed his fingers over his mouth. "He reached out to her, found a way to make peace. Which was good, because that meant he got to see his grandson a couple more times." He paused, taking the time to look at both of them. "That meant his daughter felt welcome to come to his funeral."

He sat back, letting his words sink in.

One of Lorelai's arms snaked around his shoulders, offering comfort. He patted her hand, then stood up again.

"Now," he said, looking down at Lorelai's semi-subdued parents. "I don't know exactly how I'm supposed to fit into your family. For that matter, Lorelai and I aren't even sure how we're fitting into each other's lives yet, but we know we are. Us being together is a given."

Immediately, Lorelai stood up too, illustrating their united front. Firmly, almost defiantly, she took his hand. "Yep, we're a two-for-one offer now. Package deal. Take us or leave us. One for all and all -"

Luke interrupted, not knowing how long Lorelai's litany of togetherness might run. "The one thing I know for sure is that my job, from now on, is to protect Lorelai and Rory. So with that in mind, I'm going to go find Rory, and bring her back to the table. When I get back, if Lorelai says she has a headache, I'm putting both of the girls in the car and taking them home." He turned to check with Lorelai. "OK with you?"

"Sounds like a great plan to me," Lorelai agreed, coolly eyeing her parents and squeezing his hand hard.

Not usually demonstrative in public, he nevertheless turned and gave Lorelai a quick kiss. "So I guess that gives the three of you about five minutes to decide if we can all get along or not."

With that directive, he left the table without a backward glance and went to find the kitchen, thinking that he'd probably experience a warmer welcome there than he'd just received from his future in-laws.

* * *

It was closer to fifteen minutes later when Luke and Rory returned to the table. The chef was indeed welcoming and had spent some time discussing woks and exchanging restaurant tales with Luke. Rory took her seat, her face shining, ready to talk about all she had seen and learned in the _back of house_.

"That's what they call it," she informed them. " _Back of house_ means what goes on where the public can't see it."

Luke put a hand on Lorelai's shoulder. "How are you feeling?" he asked pointedly.

She chewed her lip, then smiled wanly. "Fine," she said.

"Really?" He sounded skeptical.

Lorelai pleated the napkin in her lap. "I thought I was getting a headache, but it's fading now. I think." She glanced at her mother.

"We hope you'll be able to stay," Richard ventured.

"As long as Lorelai feels OK, we'll stay." Luke sat back down and searched for his misplaced napkin.

"Rory, I was just telling your mother that I wore a tiara at my wedding."

"You did?" Rory looked intently at her grandmother. "Is that allowed?"

Emily smiled at her granddaughter, and not in a condescending way. "Is what allowed?"

"Well, a tiara is really a crown, isn't it? I thought you had to be royalty to wear a crown."

Emily smiled a little broader. "No, anyone can wear a tiara. Many brides do."

"Oh, OK." Rory studied the top of her grandmother's head. "I bet that looked pretty on you."

"I'll show you pictures, the next time you're at our house," Emily suggested.

"I'd like to see them. I like looking at old pictures."

Luke expected Emily to be offended at the 'old' designation, but instead she and Richard shared a look and a slight smile between them.

"I also suggested to your mother that she might like to wear my tiara when she and Luke get married."

Luke's head jerked up, waiting for the mean-spirited jab he was expecting to follow, ready to haul the girls out to the car.

Rory looked from her mother to her grandmother. "So it would be like a…a tradition, then, right? From mother to daughter?"

"Yes, I guess it would," Emily nodded, completely amiable. "Maybe you could even wear it on _your_ wedding day."

Rory smiled and gave a hum of approval to that idea.

Lorelai's hand landed on top of Luke's. "Maybe we could come over someday and you could show us the pictures and the tiara. Let me try it on, see what I think."

"Of course. Whenever you wish."

Rory took a shot. "Grandma, could I try it on, too?"

"I don't see why not," Emily said pleasantly, looking satisfied. "That would make a very nice memory for you, wouldn't it, Rory?"

Rory gave her grandmother an eager nod and a big smile.

In turn, Emily gave Luke a triumphant look. He saluted her back with his water glass.

Mr. Lee appeared, bearing a tray of soup bowls. "This young miss," he said, placing a bowl in front of Rory, "helped to slice up the green onions for your soup." He moved around the table, putting a bowl in front of Luke. "Your daughter says that you are the one responsible for her remarkable knife skills."

Luke almost choked. He heard Emily, Richard, and even Lorelai take in a sharp breath. He looked at Rory, who not only met his gaze but gave him a very sly, very pleased wink – almost as if she knew everything that had gone on at the table in her absence.

Getting his composure back, he gave her a rueful smile and a small shake of his head, letting her know that he knew exactly what she had done. "Rory is one remarkable girl, that's for sure," he said dryly.

"Everything a mother could ever ask for," Lorelai confidently confirmed. She reached for Luke's hand and grinned at Rory. "That's my girl."


	3. Almost-Daddy

"Get," a churlish voice demanded.

It was a Sunday afternoon in mid-June, and Luke, alone in the diner, had been scrubbing a couple of baking pans still sticky with cinnamon roll residue. The brusque greeting made him drop the Brillo pad and turn to see who was invading his workspace.

"Carl?" Luke couldn't stop his mouth from gaping open in surprise. He hadn't seen his old grill cook since he'd returned from the Rachel trip in April. "What are you doing here?"

"Working," Carl coolly informed him. The big man shoved his head through the opening on his chef's apron and tied it around his waist. "Congrats, you've got the afternoon off. Now, get."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Luke seriously thought Carl had lost his mind.

Carl rolled his eyes and sighed, then begrudgingly fished a piece of paper out of a pocket, which he tossed at Luke.

Luke snatched the paper out of the air and unfolded it, still watching Carl a bit distrustfully. "What's this?"

"Your get-out-of-work-free card," Carl said. "Read it and be enlightened. And then – like I already said – get outta here."

 _Hi Luke!_ It was Rory's neat writing on the piece of paper. _Carl is going to take care of the diner for three hours this afternoon. The reason he's doing that is because I have a surprise for you. So here's what you need to do. 1.) Go get your fishing stuff. 2.) Come and meet me on the dock at the lake. 3.) When you get here, try to act really surprised to see we're going fishing! Love, Rory._

Luke knew he had a big goofy smile on his face by the way Carl rolled his eyes at him again.

"I saw on the board you've got meatloaf as the special tonight. I'll get it going, once I finish scrubbing these up." Carl pushed past him and picked up the Brillo pad.

"I'm still not sure I understand what's going on," Luke said, glancing at Rory's note again. "You agreed to do this?"

Carl hunched his shoulders and began scrubbing industriously, not looking at Luke. "That girl of yours can be mighty persuasive," he muttered.

Luke thought of Rory, of her sweet, earnest face, and how brave his shy girl had been, to go to surly Carl and convince him to do this today.

"Yeah, she can be," he agreed fondly.

"Now, for the last time, will you get outta here? You're going to waste your whole three hours, standing here jabbering to me."

Luke didn't need more convincing. "Thanks, Carl," he threw out from over his shoulder, and headed upstairs as fast as he could to unearth his fishing gear out of the depths of the closet.

* * *

He spotted Rory as soon as he came within view of the lake, sitting cross-legged on the dock, reading a book. "Rory!" he yelled, getting her attention.

She slipped the book into a canvas bag sitting next to her, then jumped to her feet. She waved excitedly at him. When he stepped onto the dock she sprinted towards him.

Luke raised his arms as she approached, because he expected a hug, and he definitely didn't want to poke her with the fishing poles.

"You're here!" Her arms found their way around his waist, hugging him, before she laid her head on his chest and looked up at him, beaming. "Took you long enough!" she mock-complained.

"Well, if you'd clued me in about this, I could have been here earlier." He looked around a little bit as they continued to walk down the dock. "What's going on, anyway?"

Rory stared at him, her face registering disbelief for a moment before she burst into giggles. "Oh, Luke, sometimes you're everything Mom says you are."

"What's that mean?" he grumbled, never liking it when the two of them joined forces against him.

"Never mind. I'll explain later." Suddenly all business, she pointed to a green rowboat tied to the dock. "Reverend Skinner said we could borrow his boat."

"Didn't know he had one," Luke commented, examining the craft that was floating serenely on the water. "Looks like it could use some paint. Quite a bit of rust growing there."

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, he said he doesn't use it as much as he thought he would." Next she pointed to a plastic container beside her bag. "And I bought some worms from Kirk."

"Kirk sells worms?"

"Who else would sell worms in Stars Hollow?"

"Good point." He glanced around. "Are you ready to go?"

She saluted him briskly. "Whenever you are, Cap'n!"

Luke chuckled. "Great, let's go scare some fishes."

"There's just one thing," Rory nervously added.

"What?" Luke was already leaning over from the dock, to place the fishing rods into the boat. He stepped into it himself before turning around to see what Rory's 'one thing' was.

She was staring at him, her mouth open. "That," she said nervously.

"What?" he asked again, looking around in consternation.

"I don't know how you do that."

"Do what?"

She gulped. "Get into the boat."

He looked from her pinched face to where his feet were planted on the bottom of the boat, already used to the gentle undulations from the water. "You've never been in a boat before?"

She bit her bottom lip and shook her head.

"Well, don't worry, I'm here. You know I'm not going to let you fall in the lake, right?"

"Right," she said, meeting his eyes.

"So grab the bag, and what I'm sure are Kirk's ridiculously expensive worms, and let's go."

She passed him the bag, (which was much heavier than he expected), the container of dirt, and – with any luck – some still-alive worms.

"Your turn." Luke held out his hand.

Instead of reaching for him, she took a step backwards.

"OK, let's try this. Sit on the deck, with your legs dangling over."

Rory didn't look completely confident, but she did as he suggested.

"Now, put your feet on the boat." Her legs were long enough that he was able to place her toes against the plank seat in the bow. "And now…" He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her into the boat with one fluid move.

"Here you are," he summed up, shaking his head to get rid of the ringing aftereffects from her shriek of fear.

"Where should I sit?" she questioned, looking around skittishly.

"Right there's fine," Luke said, pointing at the seat directly behind her. "I'll row us over into the shade on the east side. There used to be some pretty decent fishing over there."

Rory sat down gingerly, looking as if she was trying to take up as little room as possible. Luke sat on the middle seat, facing her, and took up the oars. As they bit into the water for the first time, he lifted his face to the sun. "Wow, I can't remember the last time I took an afternoon to fish."

"I thought you deserved an afternoon off." Rory began to relax a little bit. Tentatively, she put a hand into the water just to her side. "This is nice, huh?"

"Very nice," Luke agreed. "And awfully nice of you to do this. What made you think of it? Obviously you're not a big fishing enthusiast."

Looking amused – again, he expected, at his expense – Rory shook her head. "I'll tell you in a little bit, when we get settled. We're heading over there, right?" She pointed to the far side of the lake, which was steadily getting closer.

"Yeah, see where that big old tree is sort of bending out over the water? We'll anchor right there."

"Anchor? Cool! We have an actual anchor?"

"Well, we probably have a weight of some sort, something to put down into the water to keep us from drifting." Luke glanced over his shoulder, looking around for whatever was stored in the boat. "We'll have to see what Archie has."

"Who's Archie?"

"Reverend Skinner."

"Really? I didn't know he had a real name too."

Grinning, Luke nevertheless gave her a sharp look. "Yep, he's a real person just like the rest of us heathens."

She grinned back at him. "It just sounds weird. Like hearing that your teacher has a first name."

"You mean, besides 'Mrs.?'"

"Yes, exactly!"

Luke put his muscles into rowing, the boat pulled into the shade, and they stopped squinting. "Let's try this spot," Luke suggested. "If we don't get any nibbles, we'll move down the shore a little ways."

"Sounds good to me. Hey, wait!" she insisted, when Luke reached for the fishing poles. "I've got something to give you first."

He shook his head, still not making any connections. "What?"

"Give me the bag, will you?" He lifted it over his seat and placed it close to hers, and she rooted through it, eventually pulling out a legal-sized manila envelope. "Sorry, I couldn't find a real envelope to fit," she explained, handing it to him.

"What's this?"

"I made you a card."

Luke couldn't resist teasing her. "You made me a card? Didn't you say, like a month ago, that only babies made cards? I thought you were flush with cash and bought all of your cards now in the fancy card store."

"Well…I couldn't find a card in a store that said what I needed it to say."

He took note of the apprehension in her face and voice, and paused in his attempt to open the clasp on the back of the envelope. "Rory, what's this about?"

She shook her head. "Just open it, OK?"

He didn't know if he should be nervous or not, based on her anxiety. Carefully he pulled the card out of its protective covering.

"Ha, that's great!" he chortled. Rory had glued a twig to the front of the card and had a string hanging down from it, turning it into a decent facsimile of a fishing pole. A paperclip had been fashioned into a makeshift hook and tied to the end of the string, which was dangling just above rows of blue-green waves at the bottom of the card. "Very clever," he praised her.

Then he noticed the words placed right above the waves.

 _Happy Father's Day!_ The letters were carefully printed up and down each wavy peak.

Instantly a lump began to form in his throat.

"Open it," she encouraged him softly.

He took a deeper breath of air, opened the card, scanned the words she'd written there, and felt tears immediately sting his eyes.

 _To my Almost-Daddy on his first Almost-Father's Day. Love, Rory._

"Rory, that's –" He couldn't force anything else out past the lump. Forgetting momentarily where they were, he leaned forward and grabbed Rory up in a bear hug, letting actions speak for his overwhelming feelings.

The boat rocked as their weight shifted and Rory squealed shrilly again.

"Shh, shh, it's OK," he soothed her, keeping her tight in his arms. "It'll settle down in a bit if we don't move."

Once the boat regained its balance, Rory pulled back and regarded him warily. "I guess you liked it then?"

Luke chanced looking down at the card and felt the tears well up again. "I love it," he choked out. "It's better than anything you'd ever find in a store."

She sighed in relief. "And it's OK that I think of you like that?"

"It's –" He shook his head, not able to put his feelings even remotely into words. He looked over at her, hoping she could just tell, the way her mother usually could.

She frowned at him and put up her hand, leaning backwards on her seat. "Just don't grab me again," she warned him, apparently having no trouble reading his face.

That made him chuckle. "OK, I promise not to rock the boat." Gently, he put his hand down over the front of the card. "But seriously, Rory, this means more to me than I can say. Sometimes I don't know how I survived before I had you and your mom in my life."

"Poor old lonely Luke," she teased him, grinning.

He smiled in agreement and read over the card again, this time able to appreciate the artwork and the meaning behind it without losing it emotionally.

"Do you remember last year? Last Father's Day? How we spent it together?" Rory questioned him eagerly.

"Of course I do."

"I remembered you told me that you and your dad used to go fishing sometime. So I thought maybe you'd like it if we went fishing."

He sighed happily. "Rory, you are a great kid with a great memory."

"We had fun at Mr. Tallman's last year, didn't we?"

"Making the bird house? We sure did."

"And this year, I'm really happy that we're more together." She pointed at the card. "I'm glad that's what's happening to us."

"Me too." He glanced at the card, shaking his head slightly. "Man, I totally forgot that today was Father's Day."

"Obviously," Rory scoffed.

"I should call Ed," he murmured, sort of as a reminder to himself.

"Mom and I sent him a card," Rory informed him, illustrating her exceptional hearing.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, while I was looking around at cards, and having no luck at all finding one I wanted, we saw one that said 'thinking of you on Father's Day,' so Mom bought it and we sent it to Mr. Tallman."

"That was nice of you."

"Yeah, well, he's a nice guy. He stopped by a couple of times, while you were gone, to check on us."

This was news to Luke. "He did?"

"Yeah." She looked out across the lake, reflecting. "I think he just wanted to make sure we weren't missing you too much."

Luke swallowed hard. "Rory, about that…that whole thing. You know there was never any doubt that I was coming back, right? That I wanted to be with you and your mom?"

Her clear blue eyes swung back to him. "Yeah, I knew that."

"And I hope my leaving the way I did…I hope it didn't hurt you too much."

She studied him frankly. "At first I was really mad at you, and then I was mad at Mom. I didn't understand why you guys had to wreck everything."

"Sorry," Luke winced.

"But then Mom explained it better, and then I understood more about what was going on."

Luke turned his baseball cap around the right way, using the bill to shield his eyes from the sunlight beginning to bounce off the surface of the lake. "What did she say?"

"She reminded me of the summer before I went into third grade."

Luke grinned, already imagining what crazy explanation that entailed. "What happened before third grade?"

Rory leaned forward, readily launching into the tale. "There were two third grade teachers at the elementary school, OK? Mrs. Griffin, who scheduled history bees and 'dress up like your favorite book character day' and made everything awesome, and Mr. Lewis, who was dull and boring and kids ran away rather than get stuck in his class."

"OK." Luke grinned wider.

"So of course, I wanted to be in Mrs. Griffin's class. And Mom was the PTA's best volunteer, and had sweet-talked the principal a bunch, and we'd been assured that I was in Mrs. Griffin's class." Rory paused, shaking her head as she recalled those assurances. "All summer long, we didn't worry about school for a second, because we knew it was all arranged. We were fools," she stated bluntly, and since she sounded a lot like Lorelai when she said it, Luke assumed she was repeating something she'd heard her mother say.

"We went over to school on orientation day, to get the room number and the list of supplies. And that's when we found out that that I wasn't in Mrs. Griffin's class after all."

"You weren't?" Luke bristled up, forgetting for a moment that third grade was already ancient history for Rory. He was ready to go pound on some doors, to insist that Rory get the good teacher.

"Nope. I got Miss Bell instead."

"Wait, who's Miss Bell?"

"Miss Bell was the new third grade teacher, because cranky old Mr. Lewis had retired over the summer."

Luke searched through Stars Hollow residents. "Are you talking about Lulu Bell?"

Rory snickered. "Lulu!"

"She's a little…flaky, isn't she?"

"She's awesome," Rory insisted reverently. "She likes glitter and pink and hamsters and she made a contest out of who could read the most books every grading period."

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "Hmm, wonder who won that contest?"

Rory shrugged. "Yeah, I won it a couple of times."

"So I guess third grade was OK, even though you didn't get Mrs. Griffin, huh?"

"Yes!" Rory said emphatically. "No, wait – that's not the point of the story!"

"Then what's the point?"

"The point is, we were fools that whole summer before third grade."

Luke was no longer feeling optimistic about where this story was going. "Rory –"

"And Mom made me remember how awful that week was, when we found out I wasn't getting the teacher I wanted. I remembered how sad and scared and upset I was – how I didn't even want to go to school on the first day."

"I'm not sure I understand –"

"Mom explained that was why she made you go away with Rachel, because she didn't want us thinking all summer that we got you, and then find out in the fall that we didn't. She didn't want us to be happy fools all summer, and then be heartbroken if things didn't go our way. Once she explained it that way, I understood what was going on."

Luke felt lower than the worms crawling through the Cool Whip container of dirt. He looked at Rory, and apparently his heart was in his eyes, because once again she threw up a cautionary hand.

"Don't you dare try to hug me," she begged, reaching out with her other hand to grip the side of boat, just in case.

"Don't worry, I'm not." He shook his head. "I'm not going to upset the boat, but Rory, I'm so sorry I upset you. I wish…I wish none of that had happened."

She shrugged philosophically. "Sometimes I think that even though things are hard, it's good they happen anyway. A couple of weeks ago I saw this report on the evening news about a big wildfire in a national park. It looked really terrible, with all of these trees standing there burned and ruined. But then they showed the ground, and there were a whole bunch of new little plants growing there. They said every now and then the forest needs a fire, so that the new plants can grow."

"The last thing I wanted to do was to burn anything down," Luke muttered miserably.

"Yeah, I know." She pursed her lips. "Maybe that wasn't the best example."

"But everything's good now, right?" he asked, needing to hear that nothing he'd done had permanently damaged her.

"I think things are practically perfect now!" She laughed a little bit. "Just like Mary Poppins." She looked around at their surroundings. "So are we ever going to fish?"

"Fishing! Yes!" Luke clapped his hands together and reached for the fishing rods, more than ready to let the deep discussion about hurts and disappointments go.

* * *

"So this is it?"

Luke roused himself from his fishing-induced stupor. "Is what it?"

"This. Fishing." Rory raised her chin, motioning at her fishing pole. "This is it?"

"Yeah, unless we catch something, this is pretty much it."

"Huh, somehow I thought it would be more exciting. You know, that at least we'd fling the line back and forth, or something. Like in that one movie."

"Were they in a stream? Trout fishing?"

"Maybe?"

"Well, we're stuck in a lake, so this is it."

"OK," Rory sighed.

Luke stifled a grin at her boredom. "So what did you bring along in the bag? It felt pretty heavy."

Rory held the fishing rod with one hand and fished for the bag with her other.

"Here," Luke said, taking over her pole.

"I've got food," she said, beginning the inventory, and he smiled again, knowing that Lorelai would never send her daughter out on an expedition without something to eat. "I made us peanut butter sandwiches, and brought a couple of apples, and some juice boxes."

"Mmm, juice boxes," he said dryly.

"And I also went over to Weston's and got us a half-dozen of those cinnamon-sugar cookies I _know_ you like, even though you won't admit it."

"I only eat one or two of them to be polite."

Rory snorted. "Yeah, you're very polite. You politely ate all of them up last time before I could get back to the kitchen the next day."

That comment made him a little uneasy. "Rory, am I…am I at your house too much?"

Her head popped up to stare at him. "Of course not!"

"Are you sure? Because I know…I stay over probably more than I should, and I don't…I don't want you to feel like you're stumbling over me all the time."

She was still staring at him, trying to decipher what he was saying. "But aren't you going to move in with us completely?"

"Eventually, sure. I mean, that's how marriage works. You live together."

"Well, right now, most of the time, you're gone in the morning before I even get up, and at night, it's nice when you come home. It makes it feel…more homey, somehow," Rory explained, sounding sincere.

"That's nice to hear, but if it gets to be too much, if you wish I'd disappear, I want you to tell me, OK?"

Rory fidgeted uncomfortably, playing with the straps on the canvas bag. "Well, I don't want you to disappear, but sometimes, especially in the beginning…"

"Yeah?" Luke steeled himself for the worst.

"I guess because I was so used to it being only Mom and me, all the time – sometimes I guess it feels a little weird, having to share her with you."

That brought Luke up short. "I don't mean to –"

Rory interrupted, shaking her head. "No, I'm not really complaining. I _do_ like having you around, Luke. And if you want to know a secret, there have been a lot of times in my life when I felt like I _had_ to keep Mom company, when truthfully, I would have rather been reading or something. So seriously, I'm glad you're taking some of the heat off of me."

Luke chuckled. "Happy to be of service."

Rory grinned back at him. "You cook and keep Mom occupied. My life has noticeably improved."

He laughed a little bit more. "What else is in the bag?"

She poked through it. "Um, there's some bug spray, and some sunscreen, and well, there might be a book," she hedged.

"Really? Just one book?"

"Well, maybe two."

"Just two?"

"OK, fine, I brought three," she grumbled.

" _That's_ why the bag was so heavy."

"I like to be prepared."

"You and the Boy Scouts." Luke pointed at the bag. "You might want to put on some of the sunscreen. Our shade is fading and your arm is starting to look a little pink."

Rory pulled the bottle out and squirted some lotion into her hand. "Should I spray for bugs, too?"

"Nah, there's enough of a breeze, they don't seem to be bothering us. Which is very lucky."

"Luke?"

"Hmm?"

"Would it be OK if I read now, instead of fishing?"

"Sure," he said, stifling another smile. "Hey, before you get started, have you heard anything from your grandparents?"

"Grandma's called a couple of times, wanting Mom and me to come over, but so far they haven't been able to agree on a date. Either Mom's working or Grandma's got a meeting thing she can't get out of." Rory pulled a paperback out of the bag and found her place in it. "And now they're not home. They went to Martha's Vineyard with some friends of theirs for a couple of weeks."

"So we can all breathe easy for a bit, huh?"

"Right, but I really don't think dinner at Wu's was as bad as you thought. I don't think they hate you."

"Guess we'll see about that," Luke muttered.

"We sent Grandpa a card, too, for Father's Day," Rory volunteered.

"That's nice," Luke commented. For a moment – just a very quick moment – he thought about asking what she'd done for her own father for Father's Day, but quickly discarded that idea. No need to put a downer on their day together.

"When are we going to meet your sister?" Rory's unexpected question brought his focus back to her.

"Who, Liz?"

"Do you have another sister?"

"Uh, no. Thank God. One's plenty."

"And what's her son's name?"

"Jess."

"Jess, right. So when are we going to meet them?"

"Do you _want_ to meet them?"

"Of course I do. It seems weird, that you've got family we don't know."

Luke considered her statement. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you should meet them."

"Definitely we should, before the wedding. I mean, we'll all be related then, so we should know them before that."

Luke nodded. "OK, let's talk to your mom about it and see if we can figure out a day to go visit with them."

"Well, I'm out of school all summer, so I'm free."

"Except for Girl Scouts and camp and Miss Patty's summer musical and sleepovers at Lane's and –"

"I'm not that busy," she grumbled.

"Whatever you say." He looked at the water and Rory opened her book.

"Hey, Rory?" he began, a few thoughtful minutes later.

"What?" she sighed, a little annoyed at having her reading interrupted.

"I was just thinking about how nervous you were when the boat was rocking. You know how to swim, don't you?"

"I've had lessons, yes," she answered very primly, the way her grandmother might.

"And you know how to swim, right?" he asked again, knowing now how she could – not lie, Rory didn't lie – but could nevertheless sort of _manipulate_ the truth.

"I know how swimming works, the science behind it."

"Rory." Luke put both poles in one hand and leaned towards her, putting a hand on her knee, encouraging her to look at him. "Just answer the question. Can you swim or not?"

She looked aggravated. "Let's just say that the swimming lessons didn't really take with me."

He straightened back up. "Well, that's not good. We should have you in a life jacket out here."

"Ugh, no. Besides, this lake isn't that deep."

"Doesn't take much water to drown." He looked at her sternly. "Put on a life jacket," he admonished, pointing at a faded one shoved underneath her seat, "and then add 'learn to swim' to your list for this summer. I'm teaching you how to swim."

She sighed heavily. "Oh all right," she grumbled. Aggrieved, she put down her book and gingerly stuck her arms through the straps on the life jacket.

Five minutes later, Luke felt compelled to disturb her again, needing to impart one more piece of wisdom for the day.

"Rory, just so you know, what we've done here today, this is what fishing is all about. Being together, sharing an afternoon together. Doesn't really matter if you catch anything or not."

"OK," she said, smiling. "I guess we're doing it right then, aren't we?"

"Yep, you're a natural."

She smiled and went back to reading.

A minute or so later, Luke yet again interrupted her. "Hey, why don't you pass me something to eat?"

"Yeah, sure." Rory reached for the bag. "Do you want a sandwich? An apple?"

"Anything's fine. Um, maybe a cookie first?" Luke suggested innocently.

Rory giggled. "I'll get you a cookie and I won't even lecture you about spoiling your dinner."

"Thanks."

She handed him the treat. The dusting of sugar sparkled in the sunlight. "This is really pretty awesome, isn't it, getting to celebrate Father's Day legally?"

"Legally?" He laughed at her choice of word.

Rory shrugged, taking a cookie for herself. "Well, _almost_ legally."

"Almost," he agreed.

* * *

"Hey, my fisherpersons are home!"

Luke and Rory looked up as they approached the house, spying Lorelai curled on the porch swing. She tossed the magazine she'd been reading to the floor, but didn't bother getting up.

"So how was it? What sort of fish are you forcing me to eat tonight?"

"Well, unless you run to Doose's and buy some out of the frozen food case, that's not happening," Luke told her with a smile.

"Aw, too bad, guys. The fish weren't biting?"

"Well, there's more to fishing than _fishing_ , Mom," Rory explained. She smiled knowingly at Luke.

Lorelai's eyebrows rose. "Oh, is that so, Missy? You know all about it now, do you?"

"Yep, I do." She turned and gave Luke a hug. "Happy Almost-Daddy's Day."

"Thanks, Rory. This was one of the best days I've ever had," he told her quietly, hugging her back.

"I'm glad it all worked out. I'll see you when you get home later." Rory took the book-laden bag from him and went inside the house.

"So you had fun, huh? Hanging out with the fishes for an afternoon was a good time?" Lorelai made no move to shift her position on the swing, in order to offer him a place to sit. One foot pushed rhythmically, almost angrily, against the floorboards, keeping the swing swaying menacingly back and forth.

"Yeah, it was a great afternoon." Luke crossed his arms over his chest, regarding his apparently peeved fiancée.

Lorelai shrugged, and Luke could almost see the chip on her shoulder. "Good, then."

"Yeah. Good." He took a few steps closer to her, leaned down to speak directly to her. "So I guess now we need to talk, don't we?"

She stopped the swing's movement abruptly. "I'm not in a lovey-dovey mood right now, Luke," she snapped.

"Yeah, I can tell. But I'm not talking about hiding back in the corner and kissing. I'm talking about…actual _talking_ ," he informed her coolly.

"Maybe later," she said curtly.

"No, now. If you've got a problem about how Rory feels about me, about what she did for me today – Yeah, that's something we need to address right now."

Some of the anger drained out of Lorelai's face and she looked up at him, startled. "I don't have a problem with any of that."

"Really? You're sure? You're sure maybe you haven't decided your mother's right, that it's not good for Rory to be so attached to me?" he asked cynically.

"Whoa, whoa, Luke! No!" Now alarmed, Lorelai put both feet on the floor and scooted to the edge of the swing. "For one thing, I haven't talked to my mom in more than a week. And for another, who do you think found out where Carl lives and sweet-talked him into working today for peanuts?"

Suddenly Carl's comment about 'that girl of yours can be mighty persuasive' took on a whole different meaning.

"Oh," Luke muttered.

"Yeah, _'Oh,'_ " Lorelai mocked him briefly, before hurrying on to make amends. "Luke, you know how much I love the fact that you are so into my kid. I am totally a willing passenger on the Rory/Almost-Daddy love train."

She moved over on the swing in invitation and Luke plopped down beside her, weak-kneed now that his worst fear hadn't been proven true. "Then what's going on? What are you upset about?"

Her face closed up again, but then she looked off to the side and laughed ruefully.

"What?"

"It's just…" She turned back to face him, shaking her head. "I'm just not used to anyone being able to read me like a book. Well, other than Rory. She can usually suss out when I'm stewing about something."

He put a gentle hand on her arm, slowly worked it up to play with the curls lying on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

She sighed deeply, squeezing her eyes shut, obviously not wanting to say. But then she opened them and looked at him frankly. "Chris called."

Tension flooded through him and he stopped toying with her hair. "He did? When?"

"This afternoon. While Rory was at the lake with you."

This time it was his foot that nervously started the swing swaying. "What did he have to say?"

Lorelai groaned and briefly covered her face with her hands. "Do you remember me telling you that it's the times when we ignore him that he becomes the most interested in us?"

"He feels ignored?" Luke questioned, tight-lipped.

Lorelai sighed again. "Rory didn't call him this morning."

Luke put the brakes on the swing's swaying. "She didn't call him? Why not?"

"She was busy running around, getting ready for her day with you. No, don't feel guilty," she threatened him, seeing the look on his face. "I thought about it though, thought about reminding her to call, and then…"

"Then what?" he prompted her.

"I remembered last year, how he stood her up. And here it's been a whole year, and he still hasn't come to see her. The more I thought about it, the madder I got, and so I just kept quiet. Truthfully, I didn't think he'd even notice, if she called or not."

"But he did."

Lorelai huffed out a breath of disgust. "For once."

"Hey, I know he's no candidate for father of the year, but it _is_ Father's Day, and he is her dad. I can kind of see why he was hurt."

"Oh, yeah, _sooo_ hurt," Lorelai said scathingly. "And it's not like he got nothing. She found a book for him at Andrew's, on the half-price table, one of those big, ostentatious coffee table things about the Beatles that she thought he'd like, and we sent that along with the card she picked out."

Luke was putting real effort into taking the high road. "It's still nice he called. Maybe he misses her, Lorelai."

Lorelai was almost oozing contempt. "He misses his girlfriend, that's who he misses."

"What girlfriend?"

"The one who just broke up with him."

"I'm not following," he said, unable to reconcile why Christopher Hayden's love life would matter to her at all, let alone leave her so angry. The only reason he could think of, that she still cared about him, was something he couldn't stomach contemplating.

"'Hey, Lor, why don't I come see you, huh? It'd be good to spend some time together, wouldn't it?'" she said in an overly-sweet voice, apparently mimicking Christopher.

"He wants to come see Rory?" Luke felt perspiration break out along his spine, unable to decide if Christopher coming to Stars Hollow was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Well, Rory'd be here, so he'd see her, but no, that wasn't his point, Luke. He wants to come here to sniff around me. That's the only reason he thinks coming here is worth his time, if I'm willing to hook up."

" _He said that?"_ Instantly, Luke had so many emotions flowing through him he couldn't begin to identify them all. "He actually said that to you?"

"He didn't have to. Remember when I said old couples have a sort of shorthand system, code words? He mentioned some specific times, some familiar places. There was no doubt in my mind what he was getting at."

"I'll…I'll…" _I'll kill him,_ was what he was thinking, but he knew he didn't dare give that thought voice, because it was possible it wasn't an idle threat.

"It's OK, Babe, I handled it." She started to rub his arm comfortingly. "But at first, I was just so angry. I was furious with him, that he thought he could ignore his daughter, leave me on my own for so long, and then just sort of casually saunter back into our lives when it's convenient for him. And then I was mad at me, at the vibes I must give off, because apparently he thinks I'm a pathetic loser, so desperate for love that I'd welcome him back on a moment's notice. And then I even sort of got mad at Rory, because she picked such a jerk for a father."

"That makes no sense, Lorelai, to be mad at Rory."

"I know it doesn't, but that's how upset I was! And all of that was running through my head so fast that I couldn't even talk back to him, and he just kept on and on, rambling through this disgusting sweet talk, all of this 'Lor, you know I miss you' crap."

"What's 'Lor?'"

"Me. His nickname for Lorelai. It's what he's always called me."

Luke made a mental note to never call Lorelai by anything other than her full name.

"Anyway, I was so incredibly angry, I just burst out with 'Gee, sorry, but my fiancé probably wouldn't like it if I hooked up with you.'"

"Probably not the best way to tell him," Luke said with a wince.

"No, it wasn't. Especially since you'd already become sort of a sore spot between us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been such a huge part of our lives this past year, it was hard to tell a story where you weren't a major player. He got tired of hearing Rory mention you. He accused me of having a crush on you, which of course, I couldn't exactly deny."

"I didn't know he knew anything about me."

Lorelai shrugged. "You know it's not like he called us every week or even every month, but when he did…Yeah, your name always came up, especially when Rory was talking. It was inevitable. And anyway, why should we hide you?"

Luke just sighed. "So then what happened?"

"He pretty much blew up. I swear, it sounded like he'd been talking to my mother. There was a lot of him accusing me of sneaking you into Rory's life, and didn't he have a _right_ to know about all of this before it happened, and 'I demand to meet the man who's going to raise my daughter!' That sort of stuff."

"OK, well, that's –"

"But then I told him, "Too late, Chris!'" Lorelai looked smug. "I said, 'He's the not the man who's _going_ to be raising your daughter! He's _been_ helping to raise her for the past year already!'"

Luke groaned. "Oh, Lorelai."

"And then I told him that if he could ever manage to _actually_ get his motorcycle-riding ass to Stars Hollow, of course he'd meet you!"

Luke let that statement sit there between them for a few moments, dissipating out into the atmosphere.

"And then…" Lorelai gulped, grabbing some air. "We both yelled a few more choice phrases at each other and then, very maturely, hung up on each other."

Luke bit his lips and nodded. The silence lengthened. "So it went really well then?" he commented, after about a minute of quiet.

Lorelai started to laugh, bending over and hiding her face in her hands. "Oh yeah, couldn't have been better," she sputtered out, between chuckles.

He reached over and put his arm around her and she scooted over, snuggling against him tiredly. Idly he began to play with her hair.

"Do you think he will come to town now?"

"Oh, Luke, I don't know," she said, sighing. "I guess we'll see if this does light the fatherhood spark in him or not. But I've never felt more certain that this is up to him, not me. I can't make him act like Rory's dad. That's going to have to be his choice." She looked at him with a little sparkle in her eye. "Maybe you can show him how it's done."

"About that…" He hugged her shoulders a little tighter. "You're really OK with Rory and her 'almost-daddy' thing?"

She went still for several seconds, glanced over at him, then sprang to her feet, trying to pull him up after her. "Let me prove it."

"What? How?" Luke almost always distrusted her impulsive moves, but he got to his feet anyway.

"Come inside," she urged, tugging at his hand impatiently.

"Lorelai, I don't have time!" he implored. He put his hands on her shoulders, stopping her at the door. "Besides, Rory's here!" he reminded her, in a scandalized whisper.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Just come inside, OK? I was going to save this as a surprise for tonight, but I think you should see it now."

"I need to get back to the diner, Carl's not going to wait around forever," he muttered, but followed her in to the living room nonetheless.

"Ta-da!" She said theatrically, throwing her arms open towards the fireplace.

At first he couldn't figure out what he was supposed to be looking at. And then he realized that another framed picture had been added into the mix on the mantle.

He walked closer and stared at the picture Rachel had taken of him and Rory. "You're sure?" he finally asked quietly, not turning around.

She moved next to him and took his hand. "Very sure," she said just as quietly, reaching her other hand out to touch the whitewashed frame. "Years and years from now, I want to be able to remember how it was, this love between Rory and her almost-daddy. I want to be able to remember how much you loved both of us, even before we admitted it."

Luke angled his head down next to hers, still staring at the picture. "It doesn't make you sad?"

"No, not now. It makes me…peaceful."

"How so?"

"I look at this now and it makes me realize that this is the way it was always supposed to be. First, it was me and Rory, always, and then it was you and Rory, and then it was you and me, and now it's going to be all three of us. Together. A family." She gave a wry little shrug, half-turning to look at him. "And now when I look at the picture, I just see everything I could ever want. And that makes me peaceful, because…Well, I have it." She grinned. "I guess you could say I see the big picture now."

He groaned at her bad pun but took her in his arms and kissed her anyway.

"Oh, and that other picture? The one that made you blush?"

"Yeah?" he asked warily.

"I had it framed too, but don't worry. It's someplace nobody will see it except for us. That one I _will_ show you later tonight." Her eyebrows wiggled invitingly.

"I might just take you up on that."

"No 'might' about it, mister!"

She followed him to the door, and in spite of his good intentions to head right out, they shared a couple of protracted kisses before he could open it.

"Sorry the fishing didn't work out," Lorelai tried to commiserate, as he walked down the steps.

He turned back, shaking his head and smiling. "This day couldn't have been better if we'd caught every fish in the lake," he assured her. He shot her one more quick smile, and then headed to the diner.


	4. How the Professionals Do It

**Notes from DFC:** Once again I need to thank my aces beta, **Eledgy** , for graciously allowing me to use her original character, Ed Tallman, in my stories. I love Ed, and Luke and Lorelai, and Amy Sherman-Palladino too, for creating such a fabulous world in which to pretend. Eledgy and I often joke that we suffer from Shared Brain Syndrome, which usually means that occasionally we say the same things at the same time, but recently it's been revealed that we write the same things at the same time too. So if you read this and then read hers (or vice versa) and spot some similarities, just laugh. That's what we do! Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **How the Professionals Do It  
**

"Stay," Lorelai begged.

There was enough pent-up desire contained in that one whispered word to make Luke shudder and clutch her even tighter against him. He swallowed hard and raised his face slightly, searching for a breath of cooler air to help him find some self-control.

"I can't. You know I can't."

"Of course you can," she wheedled. Her hands slipped lower and lower, until finally her fingers dipped inside the back pockets of his jeans. "You're already here," she murmured. "There's no reason to go."

He groaned and closed his eyes, as if that would somehow better protect him against the dual assault coming from her hands and words. He forced his mind to search for logical reasons to go, instead of succumbing to her sensual reasons to stay.

"Super early delivery tomorrow. You hate those," he informed her.

Even here, in the darkest, hidden corner of the porch, in what had become their traditional spot to say goodbye, he could see her pout. "I won't care," Lorelai insisted.

"That's not what you said Monday when the alarm went off," he reminded her.

"Well, that's because Mondays suck enough without waking up at the butt-crack of dawn. Tomorrow's Thursday, which is almost Friday, which is almost the weekend. Thursday's not nearly as sucky as Monday."

"And you'll still hate it when the alarm goes off."

"I don't hate that the alarm goes off. I hate that you have to leave." Her kiss-swollen lips turned the pout into a work of art, one that he felt compelled to examine yet again, up close and personally with his own mouth.

"So you'll stay," Lorelai said victoriously, as the kiss wound down.

"No," he disputed, shaking his head. "I need to go. I stay too much."

She scoffed. "You don't stay enough."

"Lorelai…"

"No, Luke, I don't get it!" She pulled away, irritated. "I don't understand why you have to leave. Why don't you just move in and be done with it?"

He could see her riled-up eyes, gleaming at him from the dark. "Rory," he said simply.

"Rory's asleep!"

"I don't mean just tonight," he haltingly began to explain. "I mean about the whole moving in here thing."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Rory wants you here just as much as I do. You know that. She'd be over the moon if you were here full-time."

He forced himself to step away half a foot, so he could lean his hip against the porch railing instead of being pressed up against her. He looked out at the shadows between her house and the neighbor's, the darker line of shrubbery marking the boundary between the properties. "I worry that maybe…Maybe we're not setting the best example for her."

When she sighed it was as if the whole porch sighed along with her. She joined him at the railing, staring out into the night. "Tell me what you think we're doing wrong," she suggested softly, instead of arguing against him.

"I just worry that before we know it she's going to be 16 and wanting to stay at a boyfriend's house, and when we say no, she's going to say, 'Well, you and Mom did it.'"

Lorelai folded her arms across her chest and considered this. "There's a world of difference between being 16 and wanting to sneak off to be with a boyfriend and what we're doing."

"Not when you're 16," Luke muttered.

"OK," Lorelai said briskly, after a short, thoughtful pause. "Let's say you're right. We're her example, and she's going to follow in our footsteps. Is that so bad?"

He shook his head at her. "Isn't it?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned." She shrugged. "After all, I serve as the bad example and together, we're the good. I'm the poster girl for why you don't sneak off and have sex with your boyfriend at 16. Rory's lived with that knowledge all of her life, and I can't imagine it would take much to convince her it's not a good thing. On the other hand, if she truly does follow our lead and wants to live with a great guy when she's well into her twenties, is that really so bad?"

"Dunno," Luke said shortly, not wanting to give in.

Lorelai sighed again and began to gently rub his back. "Look, there's a part of me that would be happy to pretend that Rory's not going to have sex ever, but if she is – and we both know she is – then yes, I hope she finds a man who loves her and wants to live with her and share his life with her completely. Seriously, Luke, don't you want her to have what we have?"

"Yes," he muttered, defeated. Of course he wanted that sort of happiness for Rory.

A hot breeze blew by for just a second or two, not nearly long enough to dry any of the perspiration on their skin. Lorelai continued to rub the t-shirt clinging damply between his shoulder blades.

"I feel like there's something else brewing in that noggin of yours," she theorized. "Wanna tell me what it is?"

"It's July," he said darkly.

"Oh, is that why I'm standing over here in a puddle of sweat? Here I just thought it was you being all hot and sexy," she teased, poking a finger in his ribs. "Of course, that didn't explain my hair curling itself into corkscrews. But July, yeah, that makes sense now. Humidity season."

Luke grunted and she sighed again.

"OK, besides the unbearable heat and humidity, what's wrong with July?"

"We got engaged in May."

"Yes, we did."

"And now it's July."

"Again, true."

He turned to face her, dislodging her hand. "And we're no closer to getting married now than we were in May."

"We're not?"

"Are we?"

Her brow furrowed. "Well, there's no actual date set, but –"

"Yes!" He nodded vigorously. "Exactly! 'No actual date set' is not a good thing, if you ask me."

"Aw, Sweetie!" Lorelai giggled a little bit. "Is that what's bugging you? You're afraid I'm not really going to make an honest man out of you?"

"I get questions every day. Don't you? Practically every person who walks into the diner asks me when the wedding is. _Every. Single. Damn. Day."_

"Oh. That." Lorelai waved her hand in the air, unconcerned.

"It doesn't drive you crazy?"

"Nah. I kind of like it. I like the anticipation. I like the buzz."

"Well, I hate it. It makes me feel like we're still stuck."

"Stuck?"

He turned, staring out across the lawn again. "Like we were all last year. Stuck and waiting. Wasting time."

She moved close enough that she could rest her cheek on his shoulder. "I wish you'd stop saying that and believing it was your fault."

"It was my fault," he muttered.

"Last year was _not_ wasted," Lorelai said firmly, raising her head and glaring at him. "Think about how much fun we had, all of the stuff we did together. We saw each other almost every day, we got to know each other really well. It was a great year, Luke. Epic." The glare went away and was replaced by an impish look. "Not to mention months of sexual tension so thick you would have had to cut through them with one of those fancy saws you keep out at Ed's workshop. When we're old and gray we'll still be smoldering from some of those memories."

Luke scoffed but otherwise didn't dispute her.

Lorelai was quiet again, contemplating. "It really bothers you that we haven't picked a date for the wedding yet?"

"Not just that." He tried to put his unease into words. "I want us settled, Lorelai. I want us married and…progressing. I don't want to be just a guy living here with you. I want to be your husband and for this to be our home, where we live together."

He heard her draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "OK. Let's do it then," she said with determination.

"What do you mean?"

"Get married. Let's do it."

"Now?" he said dryly.

"Soon," she amended. "Look, I'm not going to lie. I like being the center of attention. I like the questions and sometimes I even like the gossip, but I agree, I don't want it to go on forever. So let's pick a date and plan a wedding."

"Just like that?" he asked skeptically.

"What do you think I do for a living? Planning a wedding is a piece of cake," she insisted, snapping her fingers.

"Really?"

"Really." She put her hands on his shoulders. "And let me tell you, I've been in the middle of more over-the-top weddings than I can count. I certainly don't want to plan that sort of circus for myself."

Luke was genuinely surprised. "You don't? You've been hunched over those wedding magazines for months."

"Sure, because they're fun to look through, but, you know, I have no desire to release a hundred doves overhead just as we say 'I do' or anything like that."

He couldn't tell if she was teasing him or not. "That's a thing? Doves?"

"Yes, that's a thing, as are champagne fountains and fluttering butterflies and 18 identical bridal attendants, none of which I want for my wedding."

"OK." He wondered if he should look through some of those magazines to educate himself, to be prepared for whatever she _did_ want.

"So let's set a date to pick a date."

"What do you mean?"

"Take me on a date."

"You're losing me here, Lorelai."

"A date, Luke. A pre-arranged time when a man and a woman, preferably wearing fancy clothes, go out to a restaurant together. They imbibe, they eat, occasionally they dance. I want to do that. Besides, you owe me."

He still wasn't quite up to speed. "I owe you?"

"Yes, you owe me a date. Right before Rachel, you were going to take me out on a real date, but it never happened."

"Hey, come on. Not true. We've been out plenty of times since then."

"We've gone to the movies, we've gone to Al's, we've gone places with Rory. I want that elegant date you promised me."

"Um, OK. Sure, I guess." He thought about his schedule at the diner, about how he could shift things. "Is Friday or Saturday night better for you?"

"Saturday. Gives me more time to arrange babysitting."

"OK, then, Saturday." He was still a little confused. "But how does that speed up our wedding planning?"

"I'll bring along a calendar and some ideas. We'll sit there, at some intimate table for two, just us and the candlelight, with no interruptions, and bang this baby out before it's time for me to order some gooey dessert that will make you roll your eyes at me."

Just in time, he stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "It's that easy?" he said doubtfully.

Lorelai sighed and turned serious. "I don't want a long engagement either. I want just enough time to let the excitement build up, to look forward to the big day as it approaches. I don't want fancy just for the sake of being fancy. I want the wedding to be what we want it to be, which I suspect is going to be small, meaningful, and a little quirky. In other words, something which will undoubtedly make my dad blanch and my mother clutch her pearls."

"You don't want fancy," he repeated, with no conviction in his voice.

"Nope. As long as we can get the Bangles to play at the reception, I'm good. 'Eternal Flame' will be our first dance." She suffered through his quelling look with good grace. "No? You don't think they'll do it? Well then, I'll come up with some alternatives by Saturday night."

"Are you pulling my leg here? You really think we can plan a whole wedding over dinner?"

"Mostly. There might still be some mopping up to do, but yeah, I bet we have all of the big decisions hashed out by the time the check comes."

He knew how, now, to tell if she was being sincere. He put his arms around her and relaxed, knowing he should believe her.

"See how much easier it is when you let me in on your worries?" she murmured, stroking his back again.

"Yeah," he whispered, totally in agreement.

"Now." She broke away, grabbing his hand. "Let's go to bed."

"What? No! I'm sleeping at my place tonight."

"Luke! Why? I guarantee that we're not corrupting Rory, and I don't care what crazy time you get up. Why won't you stay?"

He shut his mouth and just looked at her, not knowing what more to say.

"It's not the sex," she suddenly piped up, startling him.

"It's not?" he mumbled, not sure if that admission reassured him or took him down a peg or two.

"No. I mean, the sex is great and toe-curling and all, and I'm certainly not ever going to turn it down, but that's not why I want you to stay."

"Why then?"

"Because…I like you here. I like feeling your foot touching mine during the night. I like half-waking up and knowing you're right there beside me."

He pulled her close and sighed into her hair, knowing exactly what she meant. "Yeah, that's nice."

"I didn't know…"

"What?" he gently prodded.

"I didn't know how lonely my bed was until I started sharing it with you."

He felt his throat begin to clog up, so he cleared it before speaking. "At least you've got Rory here to fill up some of the space. You should feel how empty my apartment is, the nights I'm there."

"Then don't go. Stay here with me. Keep me and my bed company."

"You're relentless."

"Yes! Yes I am. Stay, stay, stay…" she started to chant, keeping her voice low.

He kissed her, a little harder than he intended.

"You're staying," she announced, satisfied.

"I'll stay, but no grumbling in the morning," he warned her.

"Me, grumble? I think you're confusing me with some other charming, beautiful girl from your misspent youth."

"Let's not go there," he pleaded, half-seriously.

"No, let's go upstairs," she suggested, a sultry note infusing her invitation.

"Let's go," he agreed, squeezing her shoulders as he gave in.

They tiptoed up the stairs, a now familiar routine. Lorelai eased shut the door to her bedroom and turned the lock so skillfully that it only gave out a muted 'click' when it slid home. Then she turned and eagerly fell into his arms.

He held her to him gratefully, kissing her with a hunger than never failed to overwhelm him.

Eventually she pulled back, catching her breath. "Do you ever think –" she began, but cut herself off, looking abashed.

"What?"

"It's too corny," she whispered apologetically. "Never mind."

"No, you have to tell me now," he cajoled, kissing the top of her head. He thought about how this was the way he loved her the most, when she dropped the clever, quippy façade she showed the rest of the world and became soft and vulnerable, just for him. "What is it?"

"It's just…" She waved towards the door, a little self-consciously. "There's just so much. We've got Rory, and each other, and this house, and both of us like what we work at. And as if that's not enough…" She looked up at him, and in the dim light from the bedside table he could see how dewy her eyes were, how much she meant what she was saying. "We've got so much, and then to top it off, at the end of the day we get to come up here and do _this_." She placed her hands flat on his chest, swallowing hard as she struggled to keep smiling through her heartfelt declaration.

His breath caught. His heart melted. Thank God he'd decided to stay. Thank God she'd convinced him to come up here with her. Thank God he hadn't missed this moment.

He hugged her hard, buried his face into hair, and started them swaying back and forth, needing to do something physical to get through his emotional response to her words.

"We've got so much," he gruffly agreed. "And I know there's even better to come."

She pulled back to look at him again, but this time her eyes were sparkling. "Dirty!" she whispered, pretending to be scandalized, and started to pull him towards the bed.

* * *

Early Saturday evening, Luke pulled the truck to a stop in front of Lorelai's garage. He got out and started for the door, tugging irritably at the uncomfortable tie around his neck.

"Hey there, sailor," a sexy voice assailed him.

He glanced up and saw Lorelai striking a pose on the porch. He stopped dead, incapable of walking another step because all of the blood in his body had been summarily diverted elsewhere.

She had on the little black dress. _That_ little black dress. The one that had brought him to his knees at Christmas.

"Luke?" He could hear her, faintly, through the erratic drumbeat in his ears. She was laughing at him. "Luke? You OK, Babe?"

"Yeah. Sure," he croaked. He shook his head, trying to clear it, trying to think about anything other than the insane amount of gorgeous leg currently being displayed by the short black dress. "I just – I didn't know you were getting so dressed up."

She smoothed her hands over her hips. "Well, I remembered I'd promised to wear this when we went out on our first real date, and I always try to keep my promises."

Luke took an extra-deep breath and forced his eyes up to hers, making them jump right over her enticing cleavage. "I remember. I just – I didn't think – I mean, you wore this at Christmas. I didn't think you'd wear it now. In summer. Because it's not cold, like it is in winter. It's hot now."

She opened her eyes wide, her hands again smoothing over the shiny black material. "It wasn't hot then?" she teased him. "I'm pretty sure you thought it was plenty hot at Christmas, too, didn't you?"

"You know what I thought then," he told her, shaking his head. "I'm sure you know what I'm thinking, now, too."

She laughed and picked up her bag from where she'd laid it on the railing, then started down the stairs to him.

"Rory's settled?" he asked, holding his hand out to her, wanting to make sure she made it safely down the steps in her high heels.

"Yeah, Mia came and got her. She's going to spoil her silly tonight, I'm sure. It's been a while since she's gotten to play grandma with her."

"You _do_ look beautiful," Luke told her when they reached the truck, finally able to get his brain back in gear.

"Do I?" She swung her head around to see him, smiling in delight. "I know you really don't like my hair like this."

From a center part she'd slicked it back into a low ponytail. Shiny, mesh-like silver earrings hung almost to her shoulders, emphasizing the long column of her delicious neck.

He leaned forward to give her lips a quick kiss before he opened the door for her. "I like your hair any way you wear it, but yeah, I guess I like it the most when it's loose and curly. But with this dress, the ponytail really works."

"Well listen to you, being all fashion-conscious." Her smile was big and bright as she affectionately straightened his collar and tie. "Next thing you know, you'll be telling me which shoes go with which dress."

"Doesn't matter what I say, you're always going to wear the highest heels you can find."

"Yes, but see, I can, since my guy's so nice and tall," she flirted, before turning and readying herself to step up into the truck.

"Wait, wait!" Taking another deep breath, Luke kept his eyes on her face. He put a strong arm around her back and bent his knees enough to slip his other one under her thighs, then lifted her without warning, depositing her neatly onto the truck's bench seat.

" _Whoa!"_ she cried out, laughing once she got over her surprise. "What was that for?"

"That was for my own self-preservation," he told her grimly before shutting her door and going around to get in on his side. "If we're ever going to make it to the restaurant, it's probably best I not stand behind you while you're climbing up into the truck."

"Hey." Looking concerned, she reached over and put a hand on his leg. "I wore this because I thought you'd get a kick out of it. If it really bothers you, I can run in and change."

"Don't you dare." He picked up her hand and swiftly kissed it, then held it tightly. "You look absolutely amazing, and as I once told you, that dress deserves to be seen. I'm sorry that I'm acting like some hormone-driven teenager. I'll get in control here soon, I promise."

"That's OK." She gave him a saucy smile. "I like knowing I drive you crazy."

"Always," he chuckled. "And in so many different ways." He leaned over and gave her one more kiss before he started the truck.

Lorelai watched with great interest as he made the first few turns through town. "So where are we going?"

He glanced over at her profile. "Sorry, we're just going to Sniffy's. If I would've known you were getting the black dress out, I would have tried for someplace fancier in Hartford."

"No, Sniffy's is perfect!" She smiled at him, not seeming to be disappointed in the least. "We'll be able to enjoy its romantic vibes for once, since the munchkin isn't with us. You know we'll be well cared-for there. Plus, Maisie won't rush us to vacate the table. We'll be able to stay as long as we need to, to plan out the wedding details."

Luke frowned and pointed at her tiny clutch purse. "Yeah, what about that? I thought you were bringing stuff for us to look over."

"I did." Lorelai petted the purse. "Don't worry, I've got everything in here that we need."

"Whatever you say," Luke said, feeling too cheerful to want to challenge her, and turned down the shortcut that led to Sniffy's.

* * *

A wolf whistle heralded their entrance into the restaurant. They quickly spotted Maisie, her diminutive form almost hidden behind the armful of menus she was cradling.

"Lorelai Gilmore, look at you!" Somehow, even with her cache of menus, Maisie was able to take hold of Lorelai's arms and stretch them out, the better to admire the spectacular dress. She gave another low whistle. "You look like you should be strutting down one of those red carpet affairs in Hollywood instead of being here in the backwaters of Connecticut."

"Thanks, Maisie, but I think I'm just where I should be." Impulsively, Lorelai bent over to give short little Maisie a hug, and Luke immediately jumped behind her, to block whatever might be on display as the dress pulled up even higher on her thighs.

He blew out a breath as the two women chatted some more. He could see he was going to have to keep his wits about him tonight.

Maisie led them over to a banquette table tucked against the far wall.

"This is perfect," Lorelai said, sliding along the curved leather seat. "We're doing wedding planning tonight, and this looks like a great spot to turn into Wedding Central."

Luke thankfully noted that the table effectively hid Lorelai's short skirt and long legs. Now all he had to do was to ignore the extra-deep scoop of her neckline. He shook out his napkin and schooled himself to concentrate on her dark blue eyes when they talked.

"Wedding planning?" Maisie looked back and forth between them. "What more have you got to plan?"

"Not much," Lorelai said cheerfully, giving her hand a careless wave. "Just the date, the venue, the music, what we're going to eat…Shouldn't take us more than a week or two. You don't need this table anytime soon, right?"

Maisie cackled. "You two take all the time you need. I went through planning weddings with all three of my girls, and let me tell you, it's no cakewalk, that's for sure."

"Yum, cake!" Lorelai pointed at Luke. "I forgot that! We need to talk about the cake, too."

This time Maisie laughed at the woebegone look on Luke's face. "Then you're going to need sustenance to get through this. What can I bring you? Lorelai?" She held out a menu to her.

Lorelai held up her hands and shook her head. "You know what, Maisie? I completely trust you. You always make better choices than I do. Go ahead and bring me whatever you think I want to eat."

Maisie looked delighted. "You got it! Lucas, how about you? You trust me with your food choices?"

Luke did _not_ trust Maisie with his food choices. But both women were beaming at him mischievously and he didn't really see a way to get out of it. "Sure," he said, his voice lacking conviction.

"Then sit back, relax, and dive into the wedding decisions. I'll be back soon with drinks and your starter." Maisie squared up the menus under her arm and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"This will be fun!" Lorelai told him excitedly.

"Your idea of fun is alarming."

"But yet you always have a good time when you're with me." She placed her hands flat on the table. "Ready to get started?"

Luke sighed. "Shoot."

"OK." Lorelai tightened her ponytail and then settled into her seat. "I figure the first thing is to decide when."

"Makes sense."

"And I don't know about you, but I'd like to be married before the end of the year."

Luke felt some of the dread he'd been harboring drift away. "Really?"

"I'm ready to be married. Aren't you?"

"Yes! Definitely. I just didn't think we'd be able to make it happen that fast."

"Stick with me. I'll show you fast." She winked.

"OK." He looked into her pretty blue eyes and smiled. "Let's plan a wedding."

"Great. First choice: which month?"

He shook his head. "If you're saying before the end of the year, our choices are already limited."

"True. And we don't want December, too close to the holidays."

He nodded in agreement.

"Same with November. Turkeys, families…um, Pilgrims…"

He was beginning to feel the unease creeping back. "Lorelai…"

"Which brings us to my favorite month of the year. October."

Luke was already shaking his head. "Lorelai, that's like three months away!"

"Yes, but October's a great month, Luke! For one thing, Rory, the most amazing baby in the world, was born in October!"

"There's no way that we can –"

"October is beautiful." She continued on, as if he hadn't tried to speak. "The leaves are gorgeous. There's nothing prettier than New England in October."

"It is a pretty time of year," he agreed, "but there's no way we can do this in three months!"

"Au contraire. Maybe mere mortals couldn't, but you, you lucky man, have at your disposal Ms. Lorelai Gilmore, who has helped to plan out an average of two weddings a month for the past five years. Trust me, Luke." She reached across the table for his hand. "I really think we can do this."

He held her hand, judged the sincerity on her face, and wondered why he was balking against the very thing he wanted.

"OK. We get married in October."

Lorelai laughed, delighted. "Great! Now we pick a day." She reached for her purse.

Luke didn't really want to argue against a fast wedding, but yet he felt that he needed to bring up potential problems. "But why does it seem like it takes a year of planning for everyone else? I remember when Maisie's daughters were getting ready for their weddings, and it was just like she said. It was chaos around here. I've heard plenty of horror stories in the diner. At K.C.'s too, for that matter."

Lorelai pulled a tiny envelope from out of her tiny bag. "A lot of that is the dress. It takes six months, eight, sometimes even a year to get a wedding gown after you place the order."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Eh, I haven't decided. I haven't seen anything I've fallen in love with yet. I've been toying with the idea of making something myself."

"You can do that? In three months?"

"Well, I like to sew. Granted, I've never done anything so involved. But I've been looking through the bridal magazines, and I keep seeing pieces of gowns I like, but not a whole gown that I love. I keep thinking, 'Wow, if I could find a dress with this neckline, and that skirt, and these sleeves…' I don't know, I just think I'd like to try it."

"That seems like a recipe for more stress."

"Maybe." She frowned slightly, considering. "Maybe I'll grab Sookie soon and go hit the bridal stores and try some things on."

"But then what happens if you do have to order one, like you say?"

"Don't tell my mother, but I'm sure I can find something in stock. And I know a lot of really good seamstresses. I'm sure I can get something altered in plenty of time." She shot him a swift smile. "Don't worry, I bet I can find the perfect dress."

"I don't doubt that. I know you'll look good in anything. I just don't want you to have to settle. I want you to have the wedding gown you really want, just the way all the other brides do."

"Hey, as long as I have the groom I want, I'll be happy."

He smiled and briefly ducked his head, more pleased than embarrassed at the way she constantly voiced her feelings about him and their relationship.

Lorelai held open the envelope, turning it his way so he could see multiple squares of paper inside of it. "Pick one," she requested.

"What's this for?" he asked, plucking one square from out of the envelope.

"It's the day we're getting married." She grabbed for his fingers and turned them over so they could see the number on the paper. "23! Excellent!"

"Wait. What are you talking about?"

She took the tiny square from him and laid it face-up on the table, tapping against it as she spoke. "We're getting married on October 23rd. We just decided."

"That's nuts. You're nuts." He paused, trying to decide how to best attack her crazy date-picking scheme. "Do you even know what day of the week that is?"

"Yes, it's a Monday."

"Monday!" His mouth dropped open, speechless for a second. "People don't get married on Mondays!"

"Remember how I said our wedding was going to have some quirkiness to it? Well, welcome to quirky."

He shook his head at her, feeling lost, wondering how to gently break it to her that they couldn't possibly get married on October 23rd. "Don't you think it might be hard for guests to come to a Monday wedding?"

She shrugged. "Most of our guests are going to be coming from about five minutes away. Or from Hartford, which isn't much further. Besides, one of the other reasons planning a wedding takes a year or more is because you have to wait for a date to open up at the location you want. Brides can wait a year, easy, for an available Saturday in June at the Inn. But I already checked with Reverend Skinner and the church is open on that Monday. It's not a Jewish holy day, so the Rabbi doesn't need it, either."

"But how…" Something wasn't adding up. "How did you know which day to check?" he asked suspiciously. On a hunch, he upended the envelope, spilling all of the thirty other little squares onto the tabletop, and then began to turn them over.

"They all have 23 on them," he muttered, sitting back in his chair.

"They do? Wow!" Lorelai looked in amazement at her fingertips. "It's like one of those magic tricks, where all of the playing cards turn into the card you've picked! I didn't know I could do magic. Cool! I should look up David Copperfield, see if he needs an assistant."

"Just tell me why you want it to be the 23rd."

"It just works out, Luke."

"What works out?"

"Everything!" She leaned forward, the neckline of her dress gaped open slightly, but Luke jerked his eyes up to her face, ready to listen. "Rory's off school that Monday and Tuesday, some sort of state teacher thing, so we don't have to worry about her missing any days."

"That's great, but I'm still confused. I thought you'd want to get married at the Independence. Don't you?"

Lorelai sighed. "I do, but I won't."

"Why?"

"For one thing, October is a busy, busy month. Tons of tourists, weddings, dinners…we're already booked solid. Yes, the Inn is beautiful and I love it, but if we get married there, on any day, that means that all of my co-workers are going to be busy working my wedding, not attending my wedding. By having it someplace else, and on a Monday besides, they should be able to come and enjoy it. Mondays are always the lightest days of the week, the easiest to arrange time off."

"That…makes sense," he had to concede. "And you're OK with the Stars Hollow church? You don't want to find someplace in Hartford?"

"I expect we'll get some blowback from my parents on that, but no, I don't want it to be in Hartford. Stars Hollow is home, and has been for a long time. I want to get married where I feel I belong. I never felt like I belonged in Hartford, even before I had Rory."

Luke sat back and rubbed a hand over his face, pondering. It was becoming obvious she'd put some real thought into this date. And as always, he had no desire to ruin what she wanted.

Maisie interrupted their planning at that moment. "Here's something to wet your whistle. Lorelai, Long Island iced tea for you. And Luke, since I know no matter what I'd bring you, you'd want a beer…" She thunked a chilled mug down before him. "Here's a beer."

"Thanks," Luke chuckled, fingering the handle in appreciation.

"And I brought you a trio of cold appetizers to combat the heat. Bruschetta, an olive tapenade, and cheese wrapped in prosciutto."

"Yes!" Lorelai hissed, and dove for one of the perfectly wrapped pieces of cheese.

"So how's the wedding planning coming so far?"

"Good," Lorelai said, nodding, her mouth full. "We've already got the where and the when figured out."

"You two work fast! So fill me in, when and where is it going to be?"

"October 23rd, Stars Hollow church," Lorelai rattled off, reaching for some bruschetta.

Maisie's eyes leaped to Luke's. "Oh, but isn't that –"

"Soon, yes," Luke cut in. He held Maisie's eyes. "Lorelai has a bunch of reasons why that date works, and I…" Suddenly his mind was made up. "I think it does, too."

Maisie studied him for another long second before she nodded. "Well, you're going to have your work cut out, to make this happen so quickly. I'd better go get your dinner ready because you're going to need plenty of energy tonight." She took a step away, but abruptly turned back. "Wait, did you say at the church? I would've thought that Mia would insist you have the wedding at the Inn."

Still munching, Lorelai quickly explained why she thought the church was a better location for them than the Independence Inn.

"OK, I see your point, but where are you having the reception?" Maisie wanted to know.

"Hmm, don't know that yet." Lorelai licked some tomato juice off of her finger, still unconcerned. "We'll figure something out. But Sookie has already declared that she's making the cake."

"She has?" Luke looked up, surprised. "Has she made a wedding cake before?"

"Yes and no. She's made cakes for other occasions that were spectacular enough to be wedding cakes. That's what I meant about us needing to talk about the cake. I suspect that we're going to have to give her some pretty strict guidelines about what we want, and even then…" Lorelai shrugged. "We're probably still getting at least a dozen layers, with spun sugar flowers and cherubs and dragons on it."

"Dragons?" Luke winced.

Lorelai laughed. "Or whatever else may be dancing in her brain when she puts it together. You know Sookie."

"But you don't know where you'll be eating this 12-layer cake?" Maisie interjected. "You won't go over to the Inn for the reception?"

"I don't think so." Lorelai turned pensive momentarily. "I really don't want everyone to have to work extra just because we're getting married. Maybe we'll just walk over to Al's, what do you think about that, Hon?"

"Not while I'm breathing," Luke said grimly.

"I think you can do better than Al's," Maisie agreed. "I'll be back a little later with your entrees. Enjoy."

After she left, they both attacked the appetizers. Even Luke found that the wedding talk had made him hungry.

Lorelai took a pull from her drink. "Geez, there's a lot of booze in here!" She took another gulp, smacked her lips, then smiled at Luke. "Maisie knows her stuff. It's best to have a mellowed-out bride when discussing wedding plans."

"What's next?" he wanted to know, wiping his fingers.

Lorelai put down the piece of toasted bread she'd been loading with tapenade and grew serious. "There's something sort of personal I need to ask you. And I'm not trying to make you feel bad, or inadequate, or anything like that. It's just something I need to know." She took a deep breath. "Luke, do you have any friends?"

He stared at her, her question tumbling through his head.

"What I mean is," she rushed on, "you never seem to hang out with anybody, or talk about seeing old pals on the street or anything, so I was wondering if there was anybody you wanted to ask to be your best man, or groomsmen, or ushers and all that. You know."

"Oh, right. That stuff." He nodded, thinking hard. "I _had_ friends, sure. Probably still do, if I'd look them up. But yeah, I guess when my dad got sick and then when I was working so hard to get the diner going, most of my friendships sort of got sidetracked. Don't worry, though, I can probably come up with some guys willing to stand up there with me."

"OK, here's the thing." She sighed deeply. "Other than Sookie, I don't really have any close friends either. I pretty much dropped everybody from Hartford – or they dropped me – after I had Rory. And I don't have sisters or cousins to use as backup attendants. So just like you, I could probably dredge somebody up, but is that really who we want standing up there with us? People we haven't seen or thought about in years?"

"But then what? We don't have anybody? Can we even do that?"

Nervously, Lorelai took another long pull of her drink. "Would you like to hear my idea? But I warn you, it's really the height of quirkiness."

"Go ahead," Luke encouraged her.

"Here's how I see our wedding, Luke. I see Rory, leading us both down the aisle to Reverend Skinner."

"Rory?" He started to grin.

"She's what brought us together, right? The two of you started your thing, and brought me along for the ride. She's really the center of our world, isn't she?"

"Yep," he agreed.

"So Rory takes my hand, takes your hand, and the three of us walk down the aisle. Maybe Reverend Skinner could even talk about that, about how she was instrumental in our love story, and how it's not just the two of us becoming a couple, but how all three of us are going to be a family. Maybe he could even ask her the questions they usually ask the father of the bride, you know, the 'who gives this woman' stuff."

"I really like the Rory idea, but Lorelai, that could be a sore point. How about your dad? Won't he want to be the one to walk you down the aisle?"

She shook her head, a little sadly. "Our relationship has been so strained, who knows? Sometimes I think he pretty much washed his hands of me once I left home. Maybe we can think of something else for him to do, if he seems willing."

"I'm all for the Rory idea, as long as we don't hurt anybody's feelings." Luke sipped at his beer. "So are you saying she'd be our witness up there, then?"

"No. That's the rest of my nutty idea."

Luke smiled. "Let's hear it."

"Well, you hit it on the head when you said 'witness.' I was thinking that it would be nice if we could have people up there with us who have actually witnessed our lives. People who have seen us struggle, and grow, and find each other."

"Who?"

"For me, I'd like to ask Mia."

"Mia?" He was surprised, to say the least.

"She's been everything to me, Luke. She's mothered me, she's watched over Rory as if we really were connected by blood. She taught me how to work – honestly, she even taught me how to be a mother. She's stood by me no matter what, and that's why I would love to have Mia standing beside me as we get married."

"OK," he said faintly, feeling a little bit as if he hadn't moved quickly enough to get out of the way of the steamroller headed his way.

"And then, I thought for you…" She stared him straight in the eyes. "I thought maybe you'd like to ask Ed."

"Ed?" Again, he felt stunned at her suggestion.

"Yes. Ed was close to your dad, and I know he feels like he's been watching over you because your dad can't. He cares about you Luke, and he's delighted that we've fallen in love. Ed would be a perfect choice for you."

"Ed," he mumbled.

"I thought, instead of them marching in ahead of us and standing there during the whole ceremony, maybe Reverend Skinner could call them up when it was time. Maybe he could acknowledge the roles they've played in our lives, and how we now want them to be with us as we say our promises to each other."

"You've really given this some thought, haven't you?"

She caught her breath. "Yeah. I guess I have."

"But what about Sookie? Won't she be hurt, if you don't ask her to be a bridesmaid?"

"I think all she _really_ cares about is the cake, but I would like to have her up there with us for something. I know this is hard to believe, but when Sookie's not all crazy and silly, she has a beautiful reading voice. It's resonant and lovely. Maybe I could find some sort of poem for her to read during the ceremony."

Luke nodded, accepting that idea. "And how about Rory? Do you think she'll be willing to be such a big part of the wedding?"

"I think so. Obviously I haven't said anything to her yet, because I wanted to see what you thought first. But we'll be right there with her, so I don't think she'll feel too shy about having such a major role." She toyed again with the bite of toasted bread. "So…what do you think? Completely crazy?"

All at once Luke could see it, just as she'd described it. He could imagine Rory, standing there with them. He could visualize Mia and Ed, once again lending them support and strength on the most important day of their lives.

He reached across the table, taking Lorelai's hand in his. He squeezed it tenderly, smiling at her. "I think it sounds exactly like something we should make happen."

"Really?" Lorelai asked, with obvious relief.

"Yes, really. In fact, if it doesn't happen just like that now, I'm going to be disappointed."

Lorelai lightly bounced their clasped hands together, sealing the deal. "Then we'll have to make sure that's precisely how it goes. I don't want to disappoint my man."

"Beautiful, I don't think it's possible for you to ever disappoint any man on this earth," Buddy suddenly observed.

Startled, Luke and Lorelai looked up to see both Maisie and Buddy standing in front of their table.

"Scooch in," Maisie ordered, illustrating togetherness with her hands. Luke and Lorelai met in the middle of the banquette, leaving room for Maisie to sit by Lorelai, and Buddy by Luke.

"We have a proposition for you," Maisie began.

"Maisie says you're getting married in the church, not at the Inn," Buddy said.

Luke and Lorelai both nodded.

"And you're not sure what to do about the reception yet."

"Not yet, no," Lorelai confirmed. "But it turns out we're whizzes at this planning thing. I'm sure we'll come up with something soon."

"In that case," Maisie said, "we'd like to give you your wedding present now."

"I'm not sure –" Luke began, always uneasy about accepting gifts.

"What is it?" Lorelai asked eagerly, her bright eyes twinkling back and forth between the older couple.

"Let us do your reception," Maisie said.

"The food, at least," Buddy added.

Lorelai gasped. "Oh, no, that's too much!"

"Way too much," Luke put in.

"We don't think so," Buddy said. "Look, we're closed on Mondays, so we've got the time free. We were thinking we could just take over the diner and cook everything right there."

Luke was shaking his head. "We haven't talked numbers yet, but there's no way everybody would fit in the diner after the ceremony."

"No, no, but…!" Lorelai was bouncing in her seat, looking so excited. "How about in the square? We'll see about getting a tent, and I'll convince Taylor to give us whatever sort of ridiculous permit I'm sure we'll need for it. Then we'd have plenty of room for everyone to sit and eat. It's just down the street from the church, and right across from the diner! Oh, you guys!" Lorelai turned to Maisie, hugging her tightly. "This is just the perfect solution!"

"It's very generous," Luke said, "and we do appreciate it. But it's still too much. We can't take advantage of you like that."

Maisie hooted. "Lucas, you know we don't let anyone take advantage of us, and that includes you, kiddo. But also, we don't let anyone talk us out of what we want to do, either. And cooking your wedding dinner is something we really want to do."

Buddy took Luke's elbow in his hand and gave it a shake. "Let us do this, and not just for you and Lorelai. Let us do this for Will and Katie, too."

Hearing his parents' names gave Luke pause. He looked over at a gleeful Lorelai, who was biting her lip, apparently trying not to break out and cheer at this perfect solution. And perfect, he had to admit, it was.

"Maisie, Buddy…thank you. This is incredibly generous of you."

Lorelai squealed and clapped her hands.

"You'll let us do it?" Maisie asked, her eyes wide. "I don't believe it! And we barely had to twist your arm!"

"I'm accepting that you'll be in charge of the cooking, but we'll pay for the food."

Maisie waved a hand in the air. "Plenty of time to get you to change your mind about that. One victory at a time!"

Buddy put a fatherly arm around Luke's shoulders. "We'll make sure it will be a great night for you kids." He leaned his head a little closer to Luke's and dropped his voice. "And for sure you're OK with the date?"

Luke nodded his head. "Buddy, I think everyone would be very happy with the date."

"Then it's all good." Buddy rapped his hands on the table and stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on your entrees."

Once Maisie and Buddy had left the table, Lorelai looked triumphantly at Luke. "See? I told you this was all going to be a piece of cake!"

* * *

"Look at everything we got accomplished tonight!" Lorelai chortled, still delighted as they began the drive home to Stars Hollow. "We know when, we know where, we know who with! We know what we're eating –"

"We don't know what we're eating," Luke pointed out. "You agreed that they could set the menu."

"Well, whatever it is, you know it will be awesomely good. Look how great our meals were tonight! You loved your fish, right?"

"Yeah, the fish was very good."

"Have you ever had anything that came out of Buddy's kitchen that _wasn't_ good?"

"No," he admitted.

"So I rest my case. Our wedding dinner will be fabulous."

Luke stayed quiet and soon Lorelai was ticking things off a mental list again. "I'll see Taylor right away about the tent, and I'll confirm the church. I'll talk to Sookie. Oh, and I think we should talk to Rory together, right?"

"Sure."

"And then about the only things left are flowers and music, and I've got a list of people I'd prefer to use for both of those things. Do you want to be involved in either of those? Do you care what flowers are in your boutonniere?"

"Flowers, no. Pick out whatever you want. But music…yeah, maybe."

"Really?" She turned to grin at him. "Every now and then you still amaze me. The things I still don't know about you. Great, I'll consult with you about the tunes. Unless I can somehow get the Bangles."

"Go for it."

"Oh, don't think I won't, Mister!" Lorelai drummed her fingers against the door. "Then we need to figure out what we're wearing, and if we're going to try for a honeymoon trip. But we should be able to get the invitations out right away. Want to meet me at the stationery store sometime on Monday?"

"After you talk to your parents."

"Way to be a downer, Luke."

"Before we order engraved invitations, you need to run everything by them, Lorelai."

"Yeah, yeah. You're right," she sighed.

After a quiet pause she perked back up. "Rings!"

"What?"

"We need to pick out wedding rings!"

He thought for a minute about how that would feel, to wear a band always on his finger. He decided it would feel pretty good.

"Yeah, we do need to pick out rings."

"Should we stop by Jeremy's after the invitations?"

"No," he snorted.

"Aw, Luke, why not? You got the girl, after all. Why not give a local shopkeeper some business?"

"You're seriously asking me that?"

She reached over to pat his knee. "Come on, Luke. You know better than anyone that there was absolutely nothing going on there." She batted her eyelashes at him. "You know you'd already stolen my heart."

"We'll see," was as much as he could promise. "Hey, what about pictures?"

"Right! Duh!" Lorelai smacked a hand against her forehead. "Of course we'll need a photographer. Well, no problem. I've got a list of them, too."

"Don't bother," Luke said slyly. "Luckily I happen to know a _really_ good photographer."

There was a pause, bordering on anguished, and Luke held his breath, worried that he'd pushed it too far. But then Lorelai reached over and playfully slapped his leg.

"Touché, Lucas. Touché," she told him, sounding almost proud.

He breathed easier, glad that they were strong enough to joke about it now.

"Do you think she'd do it?" Lorelai asked a few moments later. "Would she even be in the States, do you think? Because you said yourself, she's a hell of a photographer, and I can only imagine how fabulous our wedding pictures would be, if…" She trailed off under Luke's withering look. "Bad idea, huh?"

"Pretty bad, yeah."

"OK, forget it. I'll find a photographer."

"Good."

"But if she would happen to be around –"

"Lorelai!"

"OK, OK. Done now. Letting it go. Giving it a rest."

"Please," he muttered.

A mile went by in silence.

"Oh my God! I forgot your sister!" Lorelai cried out, making him jump.

"Liz?" Luke shook his head, not understanding.

"Yes, Liz! I forgot you had a sister!"

"That's OK, I try to forget her most of the time, too."

"No! I mean, she could be your best man. Do you want her to stand up with you?"

To his surprise, Luke found himself seriously considering the idea. "No," he finally said, slowly. "It's been quite a while since we've been anything like close. I think I'd rather have Ed, if he'll consider it."

"OK then. Ed it is."

"But…" he started.

"Yeah?"

"I would like Liz to be a part of the wedding somehow." Now Luke tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, remembering back to when they were both part of the same household. "Maybe…she could sing?"

Lorelai turned to him enthusiastically. "Liz sings?"

"Yeah. Well, sort of. She's got this kind of raw, raspy voice. Sounds like she's been sneaking cigarettes since she was Rory's age – which she has been, actually. Anyway, her voice matches up really well with ballads, folk songs, that sort of thing. Maybe we could find something for her to sing during the ceremony?"

Lorelai reached for his hand. "I think that is a very lovely idea."

"We'll need to make sure she knows we have final approval on the song choice. Liz has sort of a flaky take on what's appropriate and what's not."

"Sounds like my sort of person," Lorelai laughed. Suddenly she turned to him, looking amazed. "Hey, is that her guitar under your bed?"

Luke was taken aback. "How do you know there's a guitar under my bed?"

"Because someone likes to fling my underwear around and I've had to go searching for it on numerous occasions," Lorelai explained primly. "And I guess I'm only assuming that it's a guitar _in_ the case. Is it?"

Luke sighed, seeing no good way out of this conversation. "Yes."

"Is it Liz's?"

He sighed again. "No."

"Is it…is it yours?"

This sigh was the deepest one yet. "Yes," he morosely confirmed.

"Luke! Oh my God! Why didn't you tell me that? You play guitar?"

"I think calling what I do 'playing' might be stretching the truth quite a bit. I know some chords, I used to fool around with it some, that's all."

"Play for me!"

"Lorelai…"

"No, you have to! Do you sing, too?"

He didn't answer, preferring to stare down the road.

"You do, don't you? You sing! God, Luke!" She was bouncing again in excitement, waving her arms. "This is like winning the trifecta! Hot guy, killer eyes, playing a guitar and singing? You're my teenage dream come true. Honestly, it's a good thing I didn't know this during all of those months I was trying to resist you!"

An intense, hot memory suddenly rolled over Luke, one of Lorelai singing into his ear, last year at Rory's birthday. Kissing him. And he had stayed stoically still, refusing to kiss her back. Knowing he shouldn't kiss her back.

Now, however, things had changed. Now he was able to kiss her whenever he wanted. And he wanted to, immediately. In fact, he wanted to kiss her very, very much.

The road was deserted. He hit the brakes and threw the truck into park as far off the roadway as he could. He pushed the button for the emergency flashers, tilted the steering wheel out of the way and got rid of his seat belt as fast as he could.

"Come here," he said, opening his arms to her.

She was gaping at him, her arms braced against the dash from the sudden stop. Then she started to giggle. "Listen here, Mr. Sexy Rock Star Wannabe! You think that just because you know some guitar chords you can have your way with me?"

"I'm not going to have my way with you, but that dress has been driving me insane all night, and I don't want to wait any longer to kiss you some. Now, come here."

She opened her seat belt and he pulled her sideways over onto his lap, her back resting against the driver's side window, her long, bare legs stretching all the way over the rest of the bench seat. "You can kiss me a lot, if you want to," she willingly offered.

"I just might take you up on that," he murmured, bending to her lips. He started his hand at her knee and worked it up, all the way up under the too-short skirt, until at last he was caressing her hip.

Lorelai moaned and pushed herself away, just enough to help him get his jacket off. She attacked his tie and then some buttons on his shirt, so that she could get at some skin, too.

He'd left the truck running and the air conditioning blowing, and now their heated embrace was beginning to steam up the window next to his head. Not that he actually noticed. He was too busy regretting that he said he wasn't going to have his way with her. That might have been a very premature statement on his part.

Luke brought his left hand further around her side, stroking the side of her breast. And that's when he realized he was feeling something small and bumpy under his fingers.

 _Beads._

"Beads!" he announced, sounding as if he'd just won something.

"What?" Lorelai asked, her voice as foggy as the window.

"Beads," he repeated. He rubbed his thumb over her again. "There are beads on your dress!"

"Of course there are beads on my dress. There are beads all over my dress. They make a flower pattern."

Luke started to laugh. The pleasure from being with her, the excellent meal they'd shared, the heartfelt offer from good friends…it all combined to make him almost delirious with joy. "But see…at Christmas…" He tried to explain, but he was laughing so hard. "You said…that the dress was so pretty because of the beading…and I…I couldn't figure out what you were talking about!"

Lorelai was frowning at him. "You didn't see the beads?"

"No!"

"But Luke, they're all over the dress!"

He ran his hands all over her, confirming that fact. "Yep!"

"And you didn't see them?"

"Nope!"

"Luke, you couldn't take your eyes off of me that night! Or tonight either, for that matter! How could you have missed them?"

"Because I wasn't looking at the dress, Lorelai. I was looking at you, _in_ the dress."

She stared at him for a few seconds, and then broke out laughing herself. They sagged against each other, helplessly laughing, Luke still rubbing over the beads here and there.

When the laughter finally faded, Lorelai wiped her eyes before locking her arms around his neck and pulling herself up, straddling him. The dress crept up even further on her hips.

She looked down at him, stroking his hair and the angles of his face. "God, Luke, I love you so much," she whispered.

"I love you too. So much, Sweetheart. So much."

She bent to begin kissing him again. He pressed her down against him, holding her tight, never wanting to let go.

 _We're not going to make it home._ Later, that's what he remembered thinking, right before something metallic hit against the glass on the door directly next to their ears.

Lorelai let out a shriek worthy of Rory and then fell over onto the seat, trying to get disentangled from their embrace.

Luke's head jerked up and that was first he noticed the flashing blue and white lights revolving on the police cruiser parked behind them. Trusting that Lorelai would get herself pulled together, he quickly rolled down the window.

"Evening, Luke. I thought that was your truck."

The humid air hit him in the face, and he put up a hand to shield his eyes against the bright beam of the flashlight wielded by one of the county's deputies. "Yeah, Coop, it's me."

Deputy Coopersmith directed the light inside of the truck's cab. "Ah, and Miss Gilmore, too! Good evening, Lorelai."

Lorelai was still trying to tug everything into place, but she nevertheless smiled brightly, if a bit breathlessly, at the officer. "Hi, Coop. Nice night, huh?"

"It is. It is indeed." He made a show of looking around the side of the truck. "So, did you folks have some trouble here with the vehicle? You need me to call the garage, get you a tow back to town?"

"No, we're fine," Luke said shortly.

"You sure? Kind of a funny place to park, unless you've got motor trouble or something."

Luke bit his tongue. "We're fine," he said, forcing the words out again.

"Good to hear. So are you folks ready to get on home? Maybe you've got someplace else you could go, instead of parking along the side of the road?" He leaned conversationally against the door. "You know, normally I tell the guy to go get a room, and in your case, what with Miss Gilmore working at the Independence and all, I bet that's something you could actually do."

Luke tried to stay calm, to not rise to Coop's teasing. "If we're free to go, I think we'll just head home."

"Sure, sure. Good idea. Enjoy the rest of your night," the deputy said. He lightly tapped the flashlight against the door, then strolled back to his cruiser.

Subdued, Lorelai scooted over to her seat and clicked the seat belt in place. Luke put his on too, adjusted the steering wheel, turned off the flashers, and slowly and carefully pulled back onto the road.

After a few miles it became obvious that Coop was going to follow them all the way home.

"Well, it's better than getting a ticket," Lorelai pointed out.

"I've known him since I was a kid," Luke groused.

At that, Lorelai perked up. "Then we should invite him to the wedding!" She scrambled for her bag. "I'm adding him to the list right now."

Luke wanted to groan, but he found himself chuckling instead. "Sure, let's invite him to the wedding," he agreed.


	5. The Family We Get, the Family We Make

"Hello?"

"Mia!" Rory dumped a handful of silverware on the table and ran to the open door of Luke's apartment.

"Hello, Sweet Girl!" Mia returned Rory's hug. "Jolene told me to come up here, but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to walk right in or not."

"Of course, come in, come in!" Lorelai joined Rory in greeting Mia. "Here, let me give you a big hug too, and we'll pretend that I wasn't with you at the Inn just two hours ago."

"Hi, Mia," Luke added, turning from his post at the stove to wave at her. "Glad you could make it. Sorry about the short notice."

"No, I was delighted to get the invitation." Mia laid her purse down on the end table and then looked around. "But I am surprised that we're eating up here. I assumed we'd gather in the diner."

"Not tonight," Luke said distractedly. The sizzling chicken strips in the frying pan held most of his attention. Lorelai returned to the kitchen and began to put cheese-topped dinner rolls into a basket, while Rory finished setting the table.

Mia walked over to the table, ready to help. Her eyes traveled around the table, automatically counting. "Five places? You're expecting someone else?"

"Um, yeah…we…we are," Luke said haltingly, still distracted by the frying food.

"What does that mean?" Mia asked sharply, scowling over at the cooks in the kitchen.

Luke's head snapped up, stunned by her tone. "What does what mean?"

"This!" She stabbed her finger at the place settings. "If this is some sort of ill-conceived match-making scheme –"

"No!" Luke was horrified. "No, Mia, I swear. I'd never do something like that to you!"

" _I_ would!" Lorelai said cheerfully, carrying some glasses over to the table. "But don't worry, that's not what's going on tonight."

"Mr. Tallman's coming too," Rory explained somewhat cautiously, given Mia's mood, but she couldn't stop a joyful grin from brightening her face.

"Ed?" Mia's normal aura of calmness returned. "Oh, it's just Ed? He and I go way, way back. We met because of your parents, you know, Luke. Ed and Will were good friends, as were Katie and myself. Luckily we all meshed together, even after we all married."

"Yeah, I know," Luke said quietly.

Again, Mia looked at the table, still seeming a little wary. "So what's going on tonight that you needed both of us here?"

Rory tried to be reassuring. "It's OK, Mia. It's something good. You can trust _me,_ you know."

At that, Mia laughed, and put her hand on the top of Rory's head. "I can, can't I? You haven't yet learned the deviousness of your mother. Although I'm very much afraid that Luke is beginning to be drawn into her realm of influence."

"Never," Luke vowed.

"Oh really?" Lorelai went over to stand beside him, and poked a stern finger into his back. "Have we already forgotten about your threat concerning the photographer last night?"

"You deserved that one," he said matter-of-factly, depositing the last of the chicken on a towel to drain.

"We are _so_ getting the rings from Jeremy," she muttered to him. Then, louder, "You're right Mia, he's a lost cause. Sorry."

"Hello?" a bewildered voice called from out in the hallway.

"Hi!" Rory ran to the door again, this time to greet a slightly out-of-breath Ed Tallman. "Come on in."

"Wasn't sure if I was supposed to come up here, even though Jolene told me to." Ed stepped inside, a little self-consciously. "I thought we'd be eating in the diner."

"Nope. Tonight you get to see the glory of what will soon be Luke's former bachelor pad," Lorelai said. "Thanks for coming, Ed."

"Thanks for the invitation," Ed said dutifully, but he also looked around the room, somewhat confused. "Mia! This is a surprise, to see you too." Now slightly suspicious, he looked around again. "What's going on, that they've corralled both of us up here?"

Mia laughed once again, forgetting her own suspicions. "I have no idea, Ed! I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"If nothing else, you'll get a good meal out of it," Lorelai commented dryly. Let's head to the table," she suggested, shooing them over towards the chairs.

"Anyplace special?" Ed asked, studying the place settings.

"Nope, we thought we'd be all wild and bohemian tonight and forego the place cards," Lorelai joked. "Don't tell my mother, please. Such oversights are a sign of the apocalypse in her world."

"Your secret's safe with me," Ed promised, sitting down across from Mia.

"Now, drinks. We have iced tea and lemonade…" Lorelai began.

"Iced tea," said Mia.

"Lemonade," Ed ordered, at the same time.

"…and," Lorelai continued, grinning, "we also have some adult-like beverage choices. There's beer and what I've been assured is a pretty tasty bottle of white wine. Care to rethink your requests?"

"Yes, I'll have the wine, please," Rory said with a straight face, slipping into her seat.

"I think you missed the 'adult' designation I tacked on there," Lorelai said, tapping her daughter's shoulder in pretended firmness.

Ed glanced around again, a little nervously. "Is there some reason we need an adult beverage?" he wondered.

"No, it's just an option," Luke said, distributing a couple of big bowls filled with salad and fried chicken strips to their guests. "It's been so hot, I thought salad might be a good choice for tonight," he explaining, motioning towards the bowls.

Ed leaned over his and sniffed. "Normally I don't go in for rabbit food, but this smells pretty tasty."

"I know, right?" Lorelai sat down next to him, nodding in agreement. "Normally I kick salad right out of my life, but Luke marinates this chicken in something before he fries it, and I love it _and_ the salad that comes with it. Go figure."

"So what did we decide for drinks?" Luke asked.

"Wine, please," Mia requested.

"I'll take a beer," Ed decided.

"Lemonade," Rory said. "Since I guess that's all I'm allowed."

"Here, let me help." Lorelai jumped back up to give Luke a hand.

Before long everyone was deep into their bowls of salad and munching away on the fresh-from-the-oven rolls.

"So I hear you two had a pretty special time last night," Ed said, selecting another roll from the basket as it was passed around.

Luke glanced at Lorelai, frowning slightly. "Yeah, we did. Did you talk to Maisie or Buddy today?"

"Nope. I happened to run into Coop, over at the gas station this morning," Ed said innocently.

Lorelai snickered, but quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and ducked her head after Luke glared at her.

"Deputy Coopersmith? Why would he have something to say about your evening?" Concerned, Mia looked from Lorelai to Luke. "What happened?"

Luke directed his glare Ed's way before jerking his chin towards Rory.

"Oh, nothing much," Ed said easily. "Guess the kids had a little truck trouble. They were parked alongside the road to deal with it, and Coop stopped to check on them." He winked at Mia. "You know how that happens, sometimes, when you're young and in love."

"Oh!" Mia lowered her eyes, smiling. "Yes, I can recall having car trouble a time or two myself."

"There's something wrong with the truck?" Rory asked, her blue eyes widening in worry.

"No, honey, Luke fixed it," Lorelai hastened to assure her.

"Well, that's not a surprise." Rory went back to her salad. "You always say he's really good with his hands."

Starting to laugh, Lorelai instead choked on the bite of roll she'd just taken. Ed hooted, and even Mia chuckled. Only Luke looked mortified.

"What?" Rory demanded, looking sternly around the table. "You know I hate it when…Oh!" Her cheeks flushed. "Never mind," she mumbled. "I get it."

Mia came to the rescue, thankfully moving the conversation along. "You were at Sniffy's last night? How are Buddy and Maisie?"

"They're fine," Luke said. "Bossy, as usual."

"I assume you mean Maisie was the bossy one. Buddy is always a dear," Mia pointed out.

"While we were there we discussed some wedding plans," Lorelai said, giving Luke a significant look.

"Um…yeah," Luke said, feeling all kinds of awkward now that the once-hypothetical conversation had shifted to him.

"And…" Lorelai said leadingly, still looking at him.

"We, uh…There's some stuff…Some things we wanted to talk to you about," Luke managed to stutter out.

"Oh?" Mia looked confused for a moment, but then she quickly brightened. "Oh! Did you decide you'd like the ceremony to be at the Inn after all? That's wonderful! You know we can move things around and make it all work out for you!"

"No." Lorelai swiftly broke in. "We're definitely having it at the church."

Mia looked disappointed. "I wish I could change your mind."

Lorelai bit her lip and looked pleadingly at Luke.

He took a quick gulp of beer. "What we're hoping…What we'd like…We were wondering, if the two of you…" He faded off, not able to quite find the words he wanted.

Lorelai sighed and took over. "Ed, what Luke is trying to ask is, would you be willing to stand up with him at our wedding?"

Flabbergasted didn't begin to describe the look on Ed's face. " _Me?!"_

"Yes, you. For a variety of reasons, we're not having bridesmaids and best men and flower girls and all of that, but we'd like it if you'd consider backing Luke up," Lorelai explained. "You know, to provide a strong shoulder so he doesn't keel over up there or anything. Maybe bring along a shotgun to make sure he goes through with it. That sort of stuff."

"I…I don't…" Ed said haltingly, seeming not to know where to look.

"Oh, Lorelai!" Mia suddenly clapped a hand to her mouth, looking radiant. "Oh, you dear girl! Do you want me to stand up with you?"

Anguished, Lorelai reached over to take Mia's hand. "I do. I did. But I can't."

"Of course. Sorry, I'm so foolish," Mia mumbled, looking achingly embarrassed.

"No, listen to me." Lorelai scooted her chair around to be closer to Mia. "That was how this all began. I thought about who I would want to be closest to me during the wedding, and it was you. You've always been my biggest comfort and my most enthusiastic cheerleader, and there's no one dearer to me than you are, except these two." She nodded at Luke and Rory. "But Mia, Luke pointed out some issues to me last night, and I realize I can't ask you to do this for me. Can you image what would happen if I did? How my mother would interpret it?"

Mia breathed in deeply and nodded in understanding. "It would kill her."

"Yes. And then…Well, she might kill you."

"Not in front of other people she wouldn't," Mia said, beginning to get her color back.

"No, but later, I suspect a bad salmon puff would find its way onto your plate."

"But we have another solution," Luke said, anxious to make Mia feel better. "What would you think about being there for me?"

Mia looked at Luke, then at Ed. "I don't understand."

"Lorelai has it all planned out," Luke continued, eager to explain now that the ice had been broken. "She came up with this idea to have Reverend Skinner talk about how we've asked the people closest to us, people who have witnessed our lives, to now step forward and witness us saying our vows to each other. At that point, you and Ed would come up and stand beside me."

"And I'm going to ask my parents to do the same for me," Lorelai explained. "Of course, I don't know if they'll be willing to do it –"

"Nonsense. Of course they will," Mia asserted.

"– but I'm going to ask. All they can say is no. And hopefully this will make them more amendable to all of the other non-traditional things we're doing."

"It's a lovely idea," Mia declared.

"Just know that you're my first choice." Lorelai squeezed Mia's hand. "And if things go south with my parents, I'll be asking you again. But for now, you're on Luke's side."

"I've always been on Luke's side," Mia stated, then reached over to pat his hand. "And I'd be honored to have a part in your wedding."

Luke put his hand on top of Mia's. "Thank you. That means a lot to me. Having you up there with me on the big day will definitely cut down on my nervousness."

"Ed, what do you think?" Lorelai asked. Ed had been disconcertingly silent the whole time.

Now he got up abruptly and went to stand in front of the windows overlooking the square. He stood there, rocking back and forth on his heels, his hands jingling the change in his pockets. "Do I have to wear a monkey suit?" he asked gruffly.

"A tux?" Luke glanced at Lorelai, who shrugged. "No, I doubt it."

"As long as you wear pants, I think we're cool," Lorelai added. "And shoes. Maybe a shirt."

Ed spun around, looking chagrined.

"The shirt can be negotiable," Lorelai said hastily.

He pointed at Luke, then at himself, issuing a challenge. "You're sure about this? You want this old man standing up there with you?"

"Yeah, I do." Luke wet his lips, buying a few seconds of time. "Dad can't be there, and you'd be sort of…filling in for him. If you're willing."

He appeared to think that over before coming back to the table and holding out his hand for Luke to shake. "Then, like Mia said, it's an honor." He sat down and hurriedly took a gulp from his drink.

Mia sighed contentedly. "What else have you got planned?"

They all returned to eating their meals while Luke and Lorelai chatted about the things they'd nailed down the night before.

"What about this one?" Ed gestured towards Rory. "Surely you've got something for her to do, don't you?"

Rory nodded eagerly. "Mom wants me to lead them down the aisle, and then have Reverend Skinner say something about how I was the one who brought them together in the first place."

Mia sniffed loudly. When everyone turned to look at her, she blinked away tears. "Sorry, but that's very, very sweet," she apologized, wiping her eyes.

Rory made a face. "Well, Mom _wanted_ me to hold their hands, but I'm not doing that. I'm way too big to be holding hands with my mommy. I am willing to walk up to the front of the church with them, but I'm not giving her away. I'm just agreeing that Luke can join our family. And we're joining his."

"Hear, hear," Ed said, raising his glass. "Well said, young lady."

"Besides," Rory added, shrugging, "if we're holding hands, we can't be carrying flowers. And I've never seen a wedding without flowers, have you?"

"No, indeed." Mia smiled fondly at Rory. "Let's keep some of the old traditions, right?"

"Who's ready for dessert?" Lorelai got up and walked towards the refrigerator. "Luke and Rory made this thing called a trifle. It's got custard and cake and whipped cream and fruit in it. And from the bites I snitched of it, it's nothing to _trifle_ with!"

" _Mom_ ," Rory groaned.

After dessert they freshened drinks and then moved into the living room area, to talk some more about wedding plans and other Stars Hollow gossip.

Eventually the three ladies got up to do dishes, since Luke had cooked the meal, and Luke found himself alone with Ed. They chatted about baseball for a few minutes, but then Ed became serious.

"So Luke. The 23rd?"

"Yeah."

"That was your mom's birthday, wasn't it?"

Luke looked back over his shoulder, making sure Lorelai wasn't within hearing range. "Yeah, it was."

Ed noticed. "She doesn't know?" he asked sharply.

Luke shook his head, not looking at Ed.

"Why the hell not?"

"I don't…" Luke sighed, not knowing exactly how to explain it. "I don't want her thinking there's anything sad about the day we're getting married."

"But you're going to tell her, right?"

He took another quick look over at the kitchen area. "I'm not sure. I mean, I'm OK with the date. Actually, I think it's kind of nice, us getting married on that day. And really, it's not that big of a deal, is it?"

Ed leaned over and fixed him with a stern look. "Son, listen to me. You don't tell her about this and she finds out, it's _going_ to be a big deal." He shook his head. "You don't keep stuff like this from your wife. Or wife-to-be. Trust me, it'll only come back around to bite you."

Luke pursed his lips, reassessing. "Maybe you're right, but she's going to wonder now why I didn't mention it right away."

"Yeah, I'm afraid you've already stepped in it." Ed gave him one more firm look. "But don't wait too long to make this right. You know how Stars Hollow is. Somebody else will bring it up if you don't."

"I'll find a way," Luke agreed, but deep-down, he still didn't think it was a matter of much urgency.

* * *

"Why did I have to come along?" Luke grumbled. He hated how cranky he sounded but once the words were out it was too late to change his tone.

"For solidarity!" Lorelai declared, looking both ways before driving across a residential side street in Hartford. "We're in this together."

"Yes, I understand that, but with the way your folks feel about me, I'm not sure having me along is going to be a real advantage."

"I need you for moral support."

Luke glanced towards the back seat, where Rory was engrossed in a book. "You've got Rory for that."

"Yeah, but see, she can be corrupted. Mom could send her off to the kitchen with the maid du jour for cake or something and then I'd be at her mercy. You, on the other hand, are not that easily distracted. At least not by cake."

"I might notice you're not around when there's nobody to drive me home later," Rory sensibly pointed out, still reading.

"So I'm just here to be your bodyguard?" Luke clarified.

"More or less," Lorelai agreed, waiting to make a left-hand turn onto a wide street lined with old-growth trees.

"Because I think we both know I'm not the one with the people skills. I was pretty much worthless last night with Mia and Ed."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You can be plenty persuasive when it counts."

Luke glanced at some of the impressive houses on his side of the street. "And for the record, I still think just showing up like this is a bad idea."

"Nah, this way we've got the element of surprise on our side, and that's good in all forms of warfare. Didn't that Chinese guy, Sun Tzu, say that or something?" Lorelai thought that over, then shrugged. "Him or Custer."

Luke snorted. "Let's hope it wasn't Custer, since Little Big Horn wasn't a shining moment for him."

"Oh, but in this scenario, _we're_ the Indians, so it _is_ good for us."

"Native Americans," Rory quietly corrected from the back seat.

At the end of the block, Lorelai drove through an open gate, around a curved driveway, and parked just beyond a massive oak doorway.

"This is it?" Luke bent down, in order to be able to peer up at the house from the car window. "This is your house?"

"It's my parents' house," Lorelai said curtly, opening her door.

Luke scrambled out and then stood gawking for a moment, unable to dilute his reaction to the imposing house. "Seriously? You grew up here?"

"Yep," she said, clipping off the word.

"I didn't expect it to be so…"

"Pretentious? Ostentatious? Gray?"

He shook his head, still staring. "Big."

Lorelai's laugh had a bitter tinge to it. "You nailed it. Big it is."

"How many square feet is it, anyway?"

"Too many and yet not enough." Lorelai sighed as they walked towards the door, Rory in the lead. "They could always find me in there, no matter where I hid. That's why I started sneaking out."

"You say that in front of her, about sneaking out?" Luke wondered, keeping his voice low.

Lorelai looked surprised, then stared at the back of her daughter's head. "She knows," she finally said, resigned to that fact. "I've had to tell her some stuff, about what it was like for me here. I had to tell her enough so she'd understand why we left."

Luke nodded, saddened again by the trials she'd faced as a 17-year-old.

"I'm glad I changed out of my work clothes," he whispered nervously, right before Rory rang the doorbell. "I'm guessing that visitors in jeans and t-shirts aren't allowed past the front door."

"Yes, there's a strict dress code in place," Lorelai murmured, unconsciously squaring her shoulders. "That baseball cap of yours would have probably triggered the boiling oil edict."

They stood for another anxious minute, waiting for the door to open. "Ring it again," Lorelai impatiently directed Rory.

After the second ring, the heavy door was opened by the flustered lady of the house. "Lorelai!" Emily said, looking stunned. "And Rory! And – oh yes, Luke, as well. Goodness, what a…a surprise."

"That's us, full of surprises," Lorelai joked somewhat clumsily. "We thought it was time to take our surprise act on the road, we're tired of keeping it exclusively in Stars Hollow. You know, time to broaden our horizons and head for the big-time surprise capitol that is Hartford."

"Yes…well." Emily frowned at Lorelai, confused. "Forgive me, do come in." She stepped aside. "I forgot I gave the maid the afternoon off."

"Fired another one, huh, Mom?" Lorelai asked as they entered the foyer.

"Not fired as much as suggested she would be happier elsewhere. And that her being elsewhere would also make me happier." Emily straightened the cuffs of her silk blouse. "So to what do we owe this unexpected visit today?"

"Oh, you know. We were just in Hartford, thought we'd stop by."

"You're often a terrible liar, Lorelai."

"Darn, you caught me." Lorelai smiled, but it was still strained. "We've been talking about some wedding plans and we wanted to go over them with you."

Emily tilted her head, studying her daughter. "Is that so?" she asked cautiously, as if she was afraid to trust anything Lorelai told her.

"Really, Grandma." Rory joined the conversation. "There's a lot to tell you!"

"Well…that's lovely then." Emily still seemed distrustful. "Your father's golfing at the moment, but he should be home shortly, unless he triumphs and spends too much time celebrating at the 19th hole." She motioned to a doorway off the foyer. "Should we have a drink while we're waiting for him?"

"Grandma." Rory impulsively grabbed Emily's hand. "Could we look at the tiara first?"

Emily visibly melted. "You'd like that, would you?" Her soft smile, directed at Rory, was genuine.

Rory nodded vigorously.

"Very well, we'll do that first." She turned to Luke. "Would you like a drink while I take the girls upstairs? I doubt that you'd be very interested in headpieces."

Luke hesitated, and Lorelai touched his arm. "Your call, Babe."

"Then if it's all right with you, I'll tag along. I'd rather be with the girls than sit alone and have a drink."

"Of course," Emily said smoothly, but she gave him a curious stare. "Lorelai, why don't you take everyone up to your room, and I'll get the tiara from the safe."

"The safe?" Luke muttered, as Lorelai led them up the stairs.

" _You_ have a safe," Rory pointed out.

"Yeah, but I have a business. This is a house."

"A house in a neighborhood where if the neighbors have a safe, you have a safe too. It's all about the Joneses next door," Lorelai explained. She opened a door and made an elaborate flourish with her arm. "Entrez, s'il vous plait."

Luke looked around the room, eager for a glimpse into the teenaged Lorelai Gilmore. He took in the elaborate satin bedspread, the formal striped wallpaper, and the museum-quality dollhouse displayed on a side table. Confused, he looked at Lorelai. " _This_ was your room? Nothing in here seems like something you'd pick at all."

She rushed over to him, threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss. "Thank you! That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"

"It's a pretty room, though," Rory said. She looked through the protective Plexiglas at the dollhouse, then moved over to sit at the ruffled dressing table.

"Here we are," Emily announced, entering the room with what looked to be a small leather-covered suitcase. Rory jumped up from the dressing chair, but Emily urged her to stay seated. "Let's do you first, Rory. You're the one who's been the most anxious to see this."

In the mirror, Rory's eyes sought out her mother's. "Mom? That's OK?"

"Of course, Sweetie. Let's see how gorgeous you'll look!" Lorelai assured her, stepping up beside the table to watch.

Emily released the clasp on the case, pulled apart the hinged sections, and carefully lifted out the tiara. As she turned, the sunlight hit it and Rory gasped.

Luke hadn't known exactly what to expect, but he'd assumed the tiara would be like a crown. Instead, it resembled some sort of a bejeweled vine from an enchanted forest, with flowers made out of pearls and diamonds, and entwined leaves studded with tiny emeralds.

"Oh, Grandma, it's s _o_ pretty!" Rory's eyes were as big as they could get.

"Yeah, Mom, I'd forgotten how exquisite this is," Lorelai murmured, having fallen under the spell of the tiara herself. One finger reached out to touch a trailing leaf, but she pulled it away at the last second and tucked it behind her back, as if she'd been chastised about that sometime in her past.

"Face forward," Emily instructed Rory, and once she was looking straight-on into the mirror, Emily gently settled the tiara onto Rory's head. "There! Don't you look like a princess!" she observed, tucking Rory's hair back behind her ears.

Rory beamed, turning her head slightly from side to side to see as much of the tiara as she could. "It's not even heavy! It's really no different than wearing a headband," she happily observed. The next time she turned her head, the tiara slipped off to the side. "Oops!" she cried out, reaching to catch it. "Sorry," she whispered, as Emily righted it on her head again.

"It's not your fault, Rory," Emily assured her. "Your head's just not big enough yet to fit it properly."

Lorelai sighed heavily. "Here we go," she muttered.

"Fortunately, your mother has a large head, so it should fit her perfectly," Emily continued on.

Luke had been trying to fade into the background as much as possible, but this exchange baffled him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Apparently I had an abnormally big head when I was a little kid," Lorelai told him. "Mom's never let me forget it."

"You're kidding," he chuckled, thinking about the way her head tucked up against him so perfectly at night.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Emily insisted. "It's a trait on my side of the family, that's all. That's why I wore this tiara at my wedding. My mother told me my head was too big for a veil."

"Mom, your head is not too big!" Lorelai sounded amused. "It's completely normal-sized! What sort of a mother would –" Abruptly, she censored herself, apparently having answered her own question.

Emily looked in the mirror, frowning. She pushed her fingers through her hair, feeling her scalp. "Well," she said, shrugging. "The tiara was beautiful for a spring wedding, and I adored wearing it."

"Your turn, Mom," Rory said. "Grandma, will you help me take it off?"

Lorelai took Rory's place and Emily delicately settled the tiara down into Lorelai's mass of dark hair. Her curls hugged the jewels like old friends, and the gems sparkled happily, as if they'd found their true home at last.

" _Mom_ ," Rory breathed out, in awe.

Even Emily's eyes glistened for a brief moment. "I think this will do very nicely for you," she soon commented briskly, beginning to fuss over the tiara's placement on Lorelai's head.

Lorelai no longer looked tense. She was smiling at her image, her face serene, her eyes bright. "Luke, what do you think?" she wanted to know, meeting his gaze in the mirror.

He just nodded his approval, her beauty having temporarily knocked him speechless.

"And then, if you'll just…" Emily put her hands under Lorelai's hair and twisted it up, off her neck.

" _No!"_ Luke exploded, his words suddenly coming back. All three ladies turned to look at him, surprised at his outburst.

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly. "But I guess if I have one thing to say about this wedding, it's that I want your hair down."

Lorelai smiled at him. "I think we can make that work." She ran her fingers through the ends of her hair, fluffing it out over her shoulders. "Like that?" she asked him.

He smiled back at her, nodding.

"Then that's settled," she said, twisting her head the way Rory had done earlier, admiring the tiara from every angle.

"I finally found you!" Richard said suddenly, surprising them all from the bedroom door. "I could hear voices but couldn't figure out where in the dickens they were coming from." He stepped inside. "Lorelai, I thought that was your car parked in the –" His words cut off as he stared transfixed at his daughter. "Oh, my… _Lorelai_ ," he breathed out, sounding the way Rory had just minutes before.

"What do you think, Dad?" Lorelai asked shyly. "Should I wear this?"

"Oh, my dear," Richard said softly. He came to stand beside Lorelai, looking at her in the mirror. "You look just as lovely as your mother did thirty years ago, when I saw her walking down the aisle to me." He turned to Luke. "You are a very lucky man."

"I know that," Luke concurred.

"I never let him forget it," Lorelai chimed in.

"Even luckier because your bride is allowing you to see her wearing this ahead of time. Emily refused me even a glimpse until we were ready to say 'I do.'"

"I wanted to surprise you," Emily said smugly.

"Constantly," Richard said, reaching for his wife's hand and kissing it.

"Ugh, you two, get a room!" Lorelai teased them.

Emily rolled her eyes and then looked critically at Lorelai again. "Will this suit your dress, though? You should try it on together and see what you think then."

"I haven't looked for dresses yet." Lorelai was again turning her head in the mirror, watching the jewels catch the light. "I was thinking about making something, maybe."

" _What?!"_ Emily looked horrified. "You'll do no such thing!"

"Mom, calm down. I haven't decided anything yet. It's just an option, that's all."

"No. No, it is not! You will not walk down the aisle on your wedding day looking like some poor, bedraggled Holly Hobbie! Richard, tell her!" she demanded.

Richard looked a little perplexed, but nonetheless supported his wife. "Lorelai, I well-know your penchant for declining help from us, but this is one time I'll insist. Your wedding day is the one time you must permit us to help you. We'd be delighted to pay for your wedding gown. That's the parents' prerogative, I should think."

"Dad, I'm not saying no. I just haven't decided yet."

"Listen to them," Luke chimed in suddenly. Lorelai arched her eyebrows at him and both Emily and Richard turned to stare at him, surprised to find him in their corner. "All I'm saying is that you _do_ hate to accept help, but we all want you to have a nice dress, one that's as pretty as you are. I don't want you to rule something out because you think it's too expensive."

She drew in a deep breath, still keeping Luke in her gaze. "OK, I promise to consider it. We've decided to go see Luke's sister in New York later this week, maybe she and I can do some girl stuff and hit some shops in the city, see what I can find."

"I'll give you a list of the boutiques I trust," Emily offered.

"Sure," Lorelai easily agreed, shrugging. Then she looked back in the mirror, delicately touched the tiara, and smiled again.

"Should we retire downstairs now? This room has become rather crowded," Emily observed.

In no time, the tiara was safely back in its case – prompting sighs of longing from both Lorelai and Rory – and they had all relocated to the living room. Drinks were dispersed, along with an unexpected single-serve bag of pretzels that both of the girls pounced on instantly.

"So Dad, how was the golf?" Lorelai asked, crunching on a pretzel.

"Excellent! I had the pleasure of being one stroke up on Floyd Stiles at the end of the day."

Lorelai chuckled. "Digger's dad?"

"Yes, although I doubt that Jason would appreciate you using that old nickname. He was there, by the way. Part of his father's foursome."

"Wow. Really?" Lorelai laughed again. "Wonder what he screwed up so badly that playing golf with his father was the penance?"

"Maybe it wasn't penance, Lorelai. Maybe he was enjoying a day out on the greens with his father."

"Yeah, right!" Lorelai snorted.

"You said there were wedding plans to discuss?" Emily broke in, impatient to get away from the golf talk.

"Yes! Yes, lots to discuss." Lorelai shifted on the couch, then paused to take another sip from her glass. "We've been busy, making lots of plans. Things we want to go over now. With you. Lots of stuff. Stuff that – Rory!" she suddenly cried out.

"What?" Startled, Rory's head jerked up from the pretzel bag.

"Tell Grandma about the wedding plans!"

" _Me?!"_ Rory's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yes! Who better? You, my future journalist! Everything always sounds better when you tell it!"

Luke shook his head at Lorelai and Rory's eyes narrowed as she tried to stare her mother down.

"Come on now. Don't be shy!" Lorelai cheered on Rory, a little desperately. She patted Rory's knee encouragingly.

Rory sighed deeply but then seemed to agree to the plan. "Oh, all right," she grumbled. "Well, Mom's decided that since I'm the one responsible –" She stopped abruptly and looked at her grandparents. "Do you even know how this all got started?" she asked, pointing her fingers at the three of them sitting together on the couch.

Emily and Richard looked at each other blankly.

"Well then, I'd better start at the beginning. Otherwise this won't make any sense," Rory explained. "See, after we moved into our house, Mom started going to Luke's diner to get coffee every day. She _really_ had a thing for his coffee. So last Mother's Day, I went to the diner to get her a cup of coffee as a surprise."

Luke couldn't help it. He reached over and took Lorelai's hand. He loved that they now had a story. She grinned and squeezed his fingers back.

"Luke was kind of mean to me –"

"I was not!" he protested.

"– but he was also really nice, and I realized later that he treated me like an adult, not like a kid. I appreciated that," Rory continued, nodding at Luke.

Luke settled back, somewhat mollified, while Lorelai hid a smile.

"So when Father's Day was coming up, I asked Luke about what I should do with Dad when he came to see me, but then at the last minute Dad ended up not coming after all –"

"Christopher cancelled a visit with you?" Richard leaned forward, looking displeased.

"I'm certain he had a good reason," Emily put in.

"Sure, like he always does," Lorelai scoffed.

" _Anyway_ ," Rory stressed, frowning at all of the adults, wanting to move on with the story, "I was pretty disappointed, but Luke ended up spending the day with me instead, and we had a great time. He took me to Mr. Tallman's farm – I'm telling you that because he's going to be important later on – and we made a birdhouse. And after that, all three of us started spending more time together. Luke and Mom got to be better friends, and we did stuff together, kind of like a family."

Emily pursed her lips and looked disapproving, but said nothing.

"So now you'll understand why Mom got the idea for me to lead them down the aisle at the wedding, because I'm the one responsible for them getting together in the first place. She wants the minister to say something about that, when he starts to talk."

"The minister?" Emily sat up straighter. "Have you already selected a church?"

"Yes, we have," Lorelai said a little grimly, apparently girding for what she knew was coming. "We're getting married in Stars Hollow, in the church there."

"Lorelai, why would you do that? You know we can make arrangements at any venue in Hartford, all you have to do is say the word," Emily chastised her.

Richard was shaking his head. "Although I'm sure the church in Stars Hollow is delightfully quaint in that way you seem to love, I doubt that it can accommodate the numbers we're looking at. Let your mother make some calls."

"There won't be _numbers_ , Dad." Lorelai's voice was determined. "This isn't some sort of social soiree for your cronies. This is my wedding, mine and Luke's, and we're inviting our friends. Our neighbors. Our families. This is going to be a night that means something to us. It's not going to be an opportunity for you and Mom to network. It's not going to be a night for the elite of Hartford to come and gawk at the girl who went astray."

"You _know_ this isn't the way you plan a proper wedding!" Emily fumed.

"No one would come to _gawk_ at you," Richard insisted. "Those days are long past. But you must understand, we have obligations, people who expect to be invited –"

"Of course I expect you to invite a few _close_ friends," Lorelai forced her way on, ignoring her parents' protests. "The Prescotts, probably, and Gigi and Alan. And relatives, sure, that goes without saying. But our aim is to keep the guest list close to a hundred, because yes, seating is limited in our _quaint_ little church."

"Lorelai, this is absurd." Emily freely gave her opinion. "There's no need to limit your wedding like this. There's no reason your friends can't come to Hartford for it. As usual, you're just being obstinate for the sake of being obstinate."

Lorelai folded her arms, looking just as formidable as her mother. "Go on, Rory, tell them the rest."

"About…the wedding?" Rory asked timidly.

"Yeah, Sweetie, go on."

Rory took a deep breath, bracing herself before continuing. "Well, Mom and Luke aren't going to have bridesmaids and – and things like that. Instead, Luke's asked Mr. Tallman – remember him, from the birdhouse day? – and Mia, to stand up with him during the ceremony."

"Mia?" Emily asked, frost practically forming around the name as she voiced it.

Luke spoke for the first time since the discussion had started going south. "Mia was a good friend of my mother's, and after Mom died, Mia made sure to look in on me and my sister every week or so. She's been one of the constants in my life."

"How nice," Emily said somewhat sarcastically, looking irritated. "I guess some people can't stop themselves from taking on the surrogate role. It must become an addiction."

Luke reminded himself that this was Lorelai's mother, and that he was a guest in her home, but even so, his disgust came through loud and clear. "My sister was eight when we lost my mom. I was ten. Mia was keeping a promise to my mom, looking in on us the way she did."

Emily had the good grace to at least look abashed. "I'm sorry you lost your mother so young, Luke. I'm sure Mia had good intentions, in your case."

"She did," Lorelai said firmly. "But then, that's Mia. A big heart and open arms."

Emily glared back, but remained silent.

"Uh, Mom?" Rory asked helplessly, not knowing where to go with her story after the uncomfortable interruption.

"I'll take it from here, Sweetie," Lorelai said firmly, patting Rory's hand. "Let me tell you the rest of our plans, although I'm sure you'll hate them just as much." She took in a deep breath and let it out. "We're getting married in the Stars Hollow church. Reverend Skinner, who's known both of us for years, will be officiating. We're planning on asking Luke's sister Liz to sing, and asking my friend Sookie to do a reading during the ceremony. Maisie and Buddy, who have a successful restaurant of their own, and have known Luke and his family forever, are going to take over the diner and provide the food for the reception."

"Oh, _Lorelai_!" Emily wailed, horrified.

"I can assure you, Mom, that their culinary efforts will rival anything you've ever eaten at any 4-star restaurant here in Hartford. Luke and I are very humbled that they are willing to give up a day off to do this for us. If you like, I can give you their names and directions to their restaurant, so you can go try it out. Trust me, you'll be amazed."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure," Emily sneered.

"We've made preliminary plans to put up a tent in the town square for the reception. That will be very convenient for everyone, because it's just across the street from the diner and not too far from the church."

"So we're to have no part at all in this wedding of yours?" Richard sounded contentious, but his eyes looked sad, not demanding.

"No, actually Dad, that's why we're here today." Lorelai turned to be able to look more directly at her father. "What I would like is for you and Mom to stand up with me."

Both of Lorelai's parents seemed to deflate slightly, as some of their anger slipped away. Richard turned to look in confusion at Emily. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he said.

"Mia and Ed have agreed to stand up for Luke when we say our vows. They've been there for him as he grew up, they know how hard he struggled to find his place in the world. They've watched us as we fell in love, and I've no doubt they'll be cheering us on as we officially start our life together. And I would like…" Lorelai ran out of steam and had to pause for a moment to regroup. "I would like it, very much, if you and Mom would consider doing the same for me."

Emily looked flummoxed. "You expect your father and me to be your wedding attendants? Lorelai, be serious!"

Lorelai sat forward on the couch, folding her hands over her knee. "Serious," she mused, sounding contemplative. She forced a smile. "You could say our relationship has always been serious. Or rocky. Or strained. We've struggled, that's for sure. But once I started living apart from you, I realized it wasn't all one-sided. I could have been an easier kid. I see that now."

"Better late than never," Emily muttered.

"Exactly," Lorelai said gently. "You've seen all of the mistakes I've made, but I hope you can accept that I've had successes, too. I mean, just look at Rory! Look at this great guy who loves me and wants to marry me. I've got a house, I've got a job with a future. Yes, I know, it's not the future you wanted for me or planned for me or expected me to have. But I'm happy. I really, really am happy."

Richard and Emily glanced at each other, both sighing.

"And that's why I hope you'll consider lending me your support at my wedding. Having you come forward when we say our vows…it will be like giving me your blessing. It will be like saying that even though you've missed out on some of my past, you're going to be there with us for our future." Lorelai squeezed shut her eyes and reached blindly for Luke's hand. "It will be like saying…that you…you love me, in spite of everything." Her explanation wobbled at the end.

"Of course we love you, Lorelai." Richard's normally resonant baritone was gruff. "You're our daughter."

Emily was staring down at her clasped hands until Richard reached over and put one of his on top of hers. She looked up at him, startled.

Richard sighed again and looked over at the three of them on the couch. "You're absolutely certain this is what you want? This man? This life? This wedding?"

"Couldn't be more certain," Lorelai said staunchly.

"And you've made up your mind that you'd rather have us beside you instead of pretty girls in matching dresses?"

Lorelai's impish smile flashed. "Well, if you and Mom want to wear matching dresses, that's totally up to you, Dad. No one in Stars Hollow will say you can't."

Richard turned towards Emily and the two of them seemed to share a non-verbal communication.

"We'll be delighted to take part in your wedding, Lorelai," Emily agreed.

Lorelai's tensed muscles relaxed and she crashed backwards, half against Luke, half against the couch. "Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad."

"So is there a date for this wedding?" Emily asked, still sounding the slightest bit miffed.

"October 23rd," Luke supplied, putting an arm around his exhausted fiancée.

Emily sprang to her feet. "October 23rd? Surely not this October 23rd?" At their nod, she ran to a desk and snatched up a Day-Timer, frantically scrabbling through the pages to find the date. "You can't think you can possibly plan an entire wedding in such an unreasonable amount of time, do you?"

Lorelai looked at Luke, shrugging. "Well, yeah. Especially since most of it is already done."

"There's no way – You can't expect…" Emily trailed off as she found the correct page, her face becoming a mask of horror. "It's a Monday," she said, her voice dead.

Luke, Lorelai, and even Rory nodded.

"You can't get married on a Monday," Emily choked out.

"We can, and we are," Lorelai said calmly.

"You _can't_! It just isn't _done!"_ In despair, Emily let the planner fall to the floor at her feet.

"Mom, this works for us," Lorelai patiently explained. "It works for our friends, it works for the church, it works for Maisie and Buddy cooking the dinner. You're just going to have to trust us that this is best date for the wedding."

Emily groaned and sat down heavily on the chair next to Richard.

"Well I for one am glad to have a date set." Richard sat back, smiling genially, apparently used to his wife's hysterics over social engagements. "Trix has been asking me for weeks when she should make her travel plans."

"What?" Emily sat up straight and gave her husband a look that should have cut him in two. "What did you say? When? When did you talk to her?"

"Trix?" Luke whispered to Lorelai.

"My grandmother," Lorelai whispered back, intently watching the new drama unfolding before them. "The original Lorelai."

"Emily, you know I talk to my mother on a regular basis. She's been most anxious to hear about Lorelai's wedding plans." He smiled at Lorelai, possibly missing the death stare coming from his wife. "She'll be happy to hear it's been decided."

"Gran's willing to come to my wedding?" Lorelai asked, looking both surprised and pleased.

"Of course she will be here. Not only are you her namesake, but you're her only granddaughter. She wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Emily struggled to her feet. "Forgive me," she said glacially, her jaw tense, her eyes still shooting angry beams at her husband. "I seem to have developed a headache. And I've just learned that I have accommodations to arrange for an unexpected houseguest. Please excuse me."

"Emily! Don't be ridiculous, there's ample time to get ready for Trix." Richard stared after his steaming wife as she departed, frowning. "Maybe I should have mentioned those calls to Emily beforehand," he murmured, as they all heard Emily's footsteps thundering up the stairs.

"We should probably be going anyway," Lorelai said, standing up. "We promised Rory a trip to the office supply store."

Rory nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I don't know what I need for school yet _officially_ , but we thought we'd go and check things out. See what's new. Last year they had these really cool pop-up notes."

"Sort of a pre-shopping shopping trip," Lorelai explained further.

Luke shook his head at that, and Richard caught his eye. "You're positive you want to sign on for this?" he asked.

Luke smiled at his girls. "I'm positive."

"Yeah, this is his second school year now. He knows what to expect," Lorelai confirmed.

Richard walked them to the door. "Thank you for stopping by and for sharing your plans with us. Let us know if you want us to help with anything. Anything at all. It would be our pleasure."

"Thanks, Dad." Lorelai leaned in and gave her father a longer hug than normal.

"Thanks for the pretzels, Grandpa!" Rory hugged him too. "Tell Grandma thanks for letting us try on the tiara."

"Yes." Richard looked backwards, towards the stairs, looking uncertain. "I'd best be doing some repair on that front, it appears."

A few minutes later they were safely in the car, heading towards the shopping center that held Rory's favorite office supply superstore.

"Wow," Lorelai said, chuckling slightly as they waited at a traffic light. "Poor Dad."

"Why was your mom so mad?" Luke asked.

"Well, my grandmother is pretty intimidating. I can remember my mom totally freaking out before her visits when I was a kid. She always wanted to have everything as perfect as possible before Gran came. Of course, Gran always found plenty to criticize, no matter how hard Mom worked."

"But she's still got months before she has to worry about her being here."

"True, but I don't think _when_ she's coming is really what made Mom mad."

Luke shook his head, confused. "Why was she then?"

Lorelai laughed, but there was some sympathy mixed in with her amusement. "Because Dad has been making these plans with Gran and hadn't told Mom anything about them."

Luke suddenly went still.

"I mean, you'd think that after all of these years he wouldn't be so clueless. There's nothing Mom hates worse than being kept in the dark. Well, I guess everybody hates that, right?" Keeping her eyes on the road, she leaned over and patted his leg. "You're taking notes here, aren't you?" she teased him. "You now know to never do anything like that to me, right?"

"Yeah," Luke said feebly, his mouth feeling dry. "I'll take notes."

"We'll get you some Post-Its at the office supply place too," Rory offered from the back seat.

Luke now clearly understood what Ed had been trying to tell him. Somehow he was going to have to fix the mistake he'd already made.

* * *

 _ **Hello! I hope everyone in the US had a happy Thanksgiving. As always, I'm thankful for all of you who still read my stories and still love Gilmore Girls. I'm also thankful for snatching up Eledgy as my beta and her willingness to let me use her character of Ed Tallman in this story. I apologize for this chapter taking longer to get posted than the previous ones - real life has been chaotic lately. (And if you're worried about the wedding date snafu, don't be - Luke is going to fix it in the next chapter!)** _


	6. Getting It Right

**Notes:** I'm so sorry it's taken me forever to update this story. I never dreamed I'd be away for so long. I want to thank everyone who's still following the story and those who gently reminded me to finish it. Life seems to be back on track for me, and I plan on getting these two pretty people to the altar in a timely fashion! Thanks for sticking around!

 **Last Chapter Recap:** Luke, Lorelai, and Rory told Mia, Ed, and the Gilmores about their wedding plans and asked all of them to take part in it. The tiara made an appearance and Richard revealed that Trix was planning on visiting for the wedding. Luke had a bad feeling about not telling Lorelai what the 23rd of October means to him. And now the story continues...

* * *

"See, what did I tell you? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Luke slowed his pace and briefly turned his head, in order to give Lorelai a thoroughly disbelieving look. "It wasn't?"

"I thought it went exceptionally smoothly," she stated, and her happy, glowing face and bouncy steps seemed to perfectly illustrate her point of view.

He shook his head. "Well, yeah, if your idea of a good time is standing in the stationery store for 30 minutes, looking at 48 samples of card stock, all of which could fall under the category of 'white,' then sure, it was a blast."

"Come on, they weren't all white. We had some blush pinks, some champagne ivories –"

"They were all white, off-white, or beige," Luke disputed.

"Ha! You just admitted there were three differences right there."

"Differences that only some pretentious interior decorator could recognize. And even after that extremely _crucial_ decision was made, then we _still_ had to haggle over fonts and how big the type was going to be!"

"Well, size matters, Babe."

He groaned and thought about rolling his eyes, except that he had already rolled them so many times while at the card store looking at those 48 shades of white that he was afraid one more might damage his vision permanently. "I _knew_ you were going to say that," he complained.

Lorelai was patient as she began her explanation. "Look, there's a lot of vital information that needs to go on the invitation, and very limited space in which to display it. Plus, you want it to look pretty and be eye-catching too, so people remember to R.S.V.P. and send you lots of shiny presents. Invitation design is a very exact science."

He glanced her way again. "But you really are happy with how it turned out, right?"

She put an extra little celebratory wiggle in her next step. "I think it's perfect. And I'm beyond psyched that you agreed that Rory's name could be at the top: 'Miss Lorelai Leigh Gilmore requests the honor of your presence at the wedding of her mother, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, to Lucas William Danes –"

"That's not going to cause a big blow-up with your parents, is it?" Luke asked nervously, voicing a worry he'd had while Lorelai was dictating the contents of the invitation at the store. "Usually it's the bride's parents at the top of the thing, right?"

"Yeah," Lorelai sighed, sobering up quickly. "That's the traditional way, all right. But we're adults, and putting this wedding on for ourselves, and…Well, my parents are not the ones issuing the invitations, we are. That's the plain fact of the matter. And having Rory be the one who's saying, 'Hey, come see my mom marry Luke'…" She looked at him, her smile blossoming again. "Well, that's just darn cute." She reached for his hand. "You think so too, don't you?"

He squeezed her hand, then dropped it so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders instead. "I think anything that even remotely has something to do with Rory is pretty darn cute."

They walked for a few more steps before Luke began to notice their surroundings. He'd been so relieved to get out of the card store he hadn't really been aware that they seemed to be walking towards a specific destination and not aimlessly strolling.

"I should be getting back to the diner," he suggested, looking across the square to his business.

"You've still got time," Lorelai reminded him. "You said you'd be back by 3."

He stopped walking, instantly suspicious. "You've got something else in mind, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," she admitted proudly, her voice taking on a sing-song quality.

"What?"

She held up her left hand and jiggled the engagement ring at him.

"No," he said, trying to sound as inflexible as possible.

"Yes," she countered calmly.

"Absolutely not." He tried to turn around, but Lorelai stood firm.

"Luke, why not? It's something we have to do, we've got the time today, and we're not even four steps away from the jewelry store. Let's just go take a peek."

"I don't want to," he said, whining like a little kid.

"Really?" She fixed him with a skeptical look. "You don't want to buy me a wedding ring?"

He sighed, already seeing where this was going to go. "Of course I want to buy you a wedding ring."

"Because I would have thought that was a big deal to you, getting the ring you're going to slip on my finger, the one that's going to show the whole world that I'm your wife, that nobody else is ever going to have a chance with me, that I'm yours, forever and ever and ever –"

"Geez, fine! Whatever! Let's go look at rings!"

"Why, Lucas, what a wonderful idea." She tucked her arm under his and started them walking to the jewelry store's entrance.

The same soft chime that Luke remembered from Christmas shopping sounded as they stepped into the store. At first it was hard to see anything after the bright sunshine outside, but soon he could make out a solitary female salesclerk behind a counter, changing a watch battery for a customer.

"Be with you in a minute," she cheerfully greeted them.

His attitude improved. Maybe Jeremy was at a late lunch and he wouldn't have to deal with him after all.

Lorelai immediately found the display case with the wedding rings and made a show out of pretending to push him over to it.

"Ooh, look at that one!" she said, pointing to a band heavy with diamonds.

"How could you do any work with something like that on your hand?" Luke wondered.

Lorelai snickered. "And you'd _have_ to work, to pay for something like that! Or be born into the leisure class, I guess. I imagine you'd take it off when you went yachting or visited the stables on the property."

"Luke! Lorelai! Hey, good to see you guys!"

Luke sighed. His luck had run out. He took a minute to steel himself before turning to acknowledge Jeremy's enthusiastic greeting.

"Congratulations, Luke. I've seen Lorelai since the engagement, but I think this is the first time I've run into you." Jeremy offered him a good-natured handshake. "I'm sure the two of you will be very happy."

" _I'm_ sure we will be too," Luke said curtly.

Jeremy looked at him a little curiously, then turned to Lorelai, a big smile breaking out on his face. "Did you never tell him?"

Lorelai bit her bottom lip and looked up at Jeremy from under her lashes, looking far too sexily adorable in Luke's opinion. When she quickly shook her head, Jeremy laughed loudly.

"Tell me what?" Luke grumbled. He hated the idea that she and Jeremy had some sort of shared secret.

"The night of our 'date.'" Jeremy used his fingers to make air quotes, further cementing Luke's estimation of him. "She made me stop the car before we left town and laid down the rules for the night. First and foremost, she wanted to make sure I understood we weren't really on a date."

"You weren't?" Luke watched Lorelai, who seemed to be tenaciously fixated on the rings in the case. "What was it, then?"

"I think I asked a similar question," Jeremy said amiably. "Basically, she wanted me to know that there was no hope of a relationship with her, that there was no room in her life for anything that didn't have to do with Rory or work. Or you," he tacked on wryly.

Lorelai's head shot up. "I didn't say that."

Jeremy crossed his arms, looking amused. "It was definitely implied."

"Well, I didn't think it was fair that you'd take me out, spend money to wine and dine me, and then at the end of the night there'd be…nothing. I wanted to give you an out," she protested.

"Right, how did you put it? Something about no physical…?"

"No date-like physicality," Lorelai responded immediately. "I was willing to go out as friends, as long as you understood that, too. Otherwise you could have just dropped me off to spend the evening with Sookie."

Jeremy looked at Luke with twinkling eyes, wanting to share the joke. "She even offered to pay for my dinner."

"Because it wasn't really a date," Lorelai explained. "It seemed the least I could do."

"So you see, Luke, as much I really hope to find a Lorelai of my own someday, there was never any real danger that I was going to steal yours away. She made that perfectly clear." He chanced holding out his hand again. "What do you say? Truce?"

Luke realized that continuing to be a bad sport was going to gain him nothing, especially as there seemed to be no feelings lingering on from either side. "Just help us pick out the rings and we'll forget it ever happened," he suggested, briefly shaking hands.

"Hmm, don't know that I want to _forget_ it," Jeremy said. "Being able to say I once went out with Lorelai Gilmore gives me a certain amount of street cred in this town."

Lorelai snickered and Luke gave him a look that suggested he'd best keep that information to himself.

Jeremy held up his hands, letting the topic drop. "Wedding bands? Is that what you're looking for today?"

"Yes!" was Lorelai's response.

Jeremy stepped behind the counter, pulling a circle of keys from his pocket. "What did you have in mind?"

"Pretty ones!" she said, not narrowing the selection down at all.

"See anything in the case you're interested in? Maybe that will give us a place to start."

Lorelai pointed to a very thin band, set all around with minuscule diamonds. "I like that one."

Jeremy pulled it out and Lorelai tried it on, but soon declared it didn't look compatible with her engagement ring. The next one 'Made her finger look stumpy.' Number three was 'Too Russian monarch-y.' The one after that was too wide.

"Sorry," she said, after disappointment #14. "I really thought that one was going to work."

"Could I –" Jeremy cut himself off, looking uncomfortable. "I have –" He stopped himself again. "Look, I have a ring that you might be interested in. Could I show it to you?"

"Sure," Lorelai agreed, and Luke nodded his consent.

"I'll be back in just a minute," he promised, and headed for his office. He returned quickly, placing a small, square box on the counter before them. The purple velvet had been worn bare in spots, as if it had weathered many hands over many years.

"Going to estate sales is sort of a hobby of mine," he began to explain. "If I have time, I try to go to at least one a week. Sometimes I can find something for the shop, sometimes it's just fun to look. But if I can snag some jewelry, especially something antique, I figure I had a good day. Anyway, I saw this and thought…Well, here, just look." With that, he snapped open the lid.

Lorelai gasped and even Luke's eyes opened wide in surprise.

The narrow silver band inside the threadbare box was set with alternating round diamonds and baguette-cut sapphires. It glowed with the patina of age, yet sparkled with the vigor necessary to take on still another set of marriage vows.

Lorelai held out her hand, putting her engagement ring next to the box. "It's like they were separated at birth," she said in amazement.

"You found this at an estate sale?" Luke asked, still staring at the ring.

"Yeah. It was a couple of weeks after I heard the news, after Lorelai showed me the ring. I saw this and I thought…Well, I thought it might work for you."

Luke's eyes snapped up to meet Jeremy's, unable to completely quell his suspicion about the jeweler's motive.

Jeremy held up his hands, palms out. "Hey, it's what I do, man. I notice jewelry, I see what people like. Nothing ulterior at all. I saw this, thought it was spectacular, and thought it might be a match for you guys. I bought it, knowing I'd find it a home, even if it turned out not to be with you two."

Finally believing him, Luke nodded.

"Try it on," Jeremy urged Lorelai. He removed it from the box and held it out to her.

She took off her engagement ring and slipped the ring on easily, barely having to push it past her knuckle. "Oh my God," she marveled. "It even fits!"

"Of course it does," Jeremy stated. "It was meant to be yours." When they both looked at him in confusion, he hastened to explain. "Some jewelry is just meant to be with certain people. Scientifically it doesn't make sense, but I've seen it happen too many times not to believe it. This was meant to be your ring, Lorelai. It just was."

Lorelai made a happy humming noise, admiring the ring on her finger.

Luke ducked his head close to hers. "You like it?"

She nodded.

"Try it with the engagement ring," Jeremy suggested.

It slid onto her finger, almost clicking into place above the band. "Perfect," she sighed.

"We'll take it," Luke said, knowing by the look on her face that they'd never find one that suited her better.

"I'll let you have it for what I paid for it," Jeremy said.

"No," Luke said firmly. "You need to make a profit on it. This is your business."

The jeweler shrugged. "Consider it my wedding gift to you. It's the least I can do for an old girlfriend." He grinned as Luke gave him an exhausted glare. "Too soon?" he questioned cheerfully.

Lorelai put the band back in the box, patting the faded velvet affectionately. "Now one for him," she said, motioning at Luke.

"Did you find one for me at the estate sale too?" Luke asked sardonically, folding his arms over his chest.

"Afraid not." Jeremy shrugged apologetically. "Do you know what you'd like?"

"Just a plain band."

"Not too plain," Lorelai interjected.

"No diamonds or anything."

"Maybe one diamond," she advocated.

"Look, I just want something that shows I'm married. I don't want anything I'll have to fuss with or worry about, or have to take off while I'm – you know – yachting or something."

"You yacht?" Jeremy asked, looking justifiably confused.

"No," Luke said immediately, as Lorelai piped up in a posh voice, "Just during the season at Newport."

Within ten minutes they'd settled on one they both could live with: silver, with a comfortable beveled edge, and sporting one flush-mounted diamond in the center.

Jeremy finished up the paperwork. "I'll get his ordered, and get this one cleaned up," he said, pointing at Lorelai's. "Put it in a new box for you."

"Would it be OK if we kept it in this one?" she asked, fingering the old velvet again.

"Sure," he said, smiling with understanding. "They belong together, don't they?"

"Kind of like us," Lorelai teased, hanging onto Luke's arm, making it difficult for him to sign his name on the check, but he wasn't going to complain.

"I'll let you know when they're ready to be picked up," Jeremy said. "Thanks for coming in today."

"Thanks for having the perfect ring waiting for us," Lorelai replied.

"Yeah, thanks for helping us with this," Luke said, surprising Jeremy by being the one to put out his hand for a friendly shake this time.

"Now I really do have to get back to work," Luke told Lorelai as they left the store.

"I know, but this was phenomenally great! One more thing to check off the list!" she pointed out gleefully.

"Are you really trying to get this wedding all planned out in one week?"

"Sure, why not?" she laughed. "We're committed. No need to drag our feet over it."

"More like you _need_ to be committed," Luke muttered affectionately, just as something shiny in the window display caught his gaze.

 _Great_ , he thought in resignation. _Now I'm going to have to come back here_ _ **again**_ _._

* * *

The sun was setting as he arrived at the girls' house. He walked to the porch, thinking about how the sunset had reflected in the lake on the night he'd proposed. For some reason a little shiver of dread ran up his spine but he shook it off, telling himself that he could explain, he was ready to fix everything, it was all going to be fine.

 _It was, right?_

He gave a quick knock, his code to let them know he was coming in, before opening the door.

"Luke!" they both yelled, their eyes not leaving the TV.

"What's this?" he asked, sitting down on the end of the couch.

"ER," Lorelai said, still staring at the screen.

Luke watched for a minute, wincing. "That's an awful lot of blood. Should she be watching this?" he asked.

"It's OK, they all live," Rory assured him.

"How do you know that?"

"It's a rerun," Rory said.

Luke watched until somebody in a white coat stuck his hand into somebody else's gaping chest wound. "OK, I've had my quota of gore for the day." He stood up. "Think I'll go sit out back for a little bit."

He stopped in the kitchen long enough to fill up a plastic tumbler with ice and water, then went out the back door to sit on the steps, silently appreciating the majestic colors of the sunset. The day's temperature was beginning to drop slightly, but he still needed a couple of big slugs from the glass of ice water to make the evening air seem bearable.

The door creaked open behind him and his peripheral vision treated him to a display of Lorelai's phenomenal legs, thanks to her choice of exceptionally short cut-offs. His hand automatically started to shoot to her thigh, but then he remembered his task for the night and he stoically pulled it back.

"Hey, you OK?" She put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you fretting about something?"

Instead of answering he shifted over on the step, leaving more room for her to sit beside him. She took the hint and settled next to him.

"Done drooling over that fake doctor?"

"I don't drool. Much." She laid her head on his shoulder. "Thought I'd come out here and get up close and personal with my real-life sexy guy. Even if you don't deliver babies."

He gave a self-deprecating snort at her compliment and took a sip of water.

"Wow, look at that sunset." Lorelai sighed contentedly. "It makes me think about being down at the lake that night."

"Yeah, me too."

"That was a _good_ night," she said, snuggling closer, in spite of the heat.

"Yeah, it was," he said quietly.

She sat up and turned slightly, to look at him. "You're sure you're OK?"

With a sigh he put his water glass on the step below him and pulled a jewelry box out of his pocket.

Lorelai's face lit up. "You got me a present?" She eagerly reached for it. "Gimme!"

Unconsciously he moved it further away from her. "I was looking through some of those bride magazines you've got stacked everywhere. Apparently it's traditional for the groom to give the bride a gift before the wedding."

Lorelai's chuckle told him how silly he was. "Yeah, but that's supposed to be the night _before_ the wedding. Do you honestly think you'll be able to convince me to wait until then to open this?"

"No."

"Damn straight." She reached for the box again. "And then maybe you'll forget you gave this to me at all and get me something else, too."

"It's true, you might get something else before the wedding," he said soberly, finally putting the box into her hand, "but it won't be because I forget about this."

Her delight at receiving a gift lessened and she searched his face. "Luke, are you sure you're –"

"Open it," he said decisively, cutting her concern off.

Her eyes tracked over his face one more time, and then she flipped open the lid. "Oh…oh, Luke! It's beautiful!" The delight was back in full measure. Her fingernail traced over the tiny charm, a mesh-like silver leaf, and then followed the gossamer chain from the leaf to where it disappeared at the top of the velvet holding it in place. She returned to the charm, touched the milky gem in the center, watched as it flashed blue, then pink. "Man, can you pick out the jewelry! Should I wear this for the wedding?"

"That's up to you." It was hard to get the words out of his dry throat.

"So perfect for our fall wedding!" She was focused on freeing the necklace from the box. "Now I'll have the snowflake to wear during the winter, and this one for fall." She handed the liberated necklace to him, then turned her back to him, lifting up her hair. "Help me put it on?"

"Wait." He put his hand on her shoulder, and she turned back around to see him. "Before…before you put this on, you need to know that the stone is an opal."

"Yeah, I know. I could tell. It's a really pretty one, too. Lots of fire in it."

"And some people…some people think it's bad luck to wear an opal if you weren't born in October."

"Yeah, I know that, too." She was regarding him with more suspicion that concern now. "It's Rory's birthstone, so of course I've heard that old wives' tale. Not that I pay it any mind. No one's telling me that I can't wear pretty jewelry just because I wasn't born in the right month."

He nodded, staring down at the small leaf he was twisting between his fingers.

"Luke? How do you know about opals and superstitions and such things?" She tried to chuckle, but seemed to be lacking the air to make it truly work. "Doesn't really seem like something that would normally be in your wheelhouse."

"Yeah." He sighed. "It's just that…somebody else used to have a birthday in October, too."

He heard Lorelai pull in a breath. "Who?" she asked grimly but bravely, and he could tell she expected to hear the worst.

"My mom," he said quietly.

"Your…your mom?" she questioned, with a tone of relief. He nodded, and she continued. "When was her –" She stopped, her whole body going still. "Oh, Luke, no. The 23rd?"

"Yeah," he said, still very quietly, not even trying to fathom how she'd figured it all out with so little explanation.

She groaned in anguish. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not like I meant _not_ to tell you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, that night, at Sniffy's, I was going to tell you. I was. I was ready to say 'we can't do it on the 23rd,' and then…"

"Then what?"

"Then, I don't know. You were excited, and you had it all planned out, and I didn't want to ruin it for you."

"So you'd rather suffer in silence, is that it?"

"What?" His head shot up, alarmed by the anger in her voice. "No, of course not. There was no suffering. I just didn't want you to think there was anything sad about the date. I didn't want to derail our plans."

Lorelai abruptly stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. "You don't get to do this, Luke!"

"Do what?" He stood up too, not exactly sure why.

"Think for me!"

"I'm not!" He clutched the necklace tighter between his fingers, watching as his careful plans were blown apart. "How the hell _could_ I ever think for you? I don't understand even a _portion_ of what goes through your head!"

"But yet that's exactly what you did! You knew something I didn't, concluded what I'd think about it, and then you decided not to tell me at all! You don't get to do that! What I think is up to me, not you!"

"Of course it is!" he yelled.

"Well, if you think that, then why didn't you tell me?"

"I already told you why! I didn't want you to think there was something sad about the day we were getting married!"

"No, that's just what you told yourself! Admit it, you kept it from me because you didn't think I could handle it or something! And here I thought we didn't even need to have _that_ conversation!"

"What conversation?" he asked, bewildered.

"The conversation about how there are two of us in this relationship and we need to be able to communicate about everything!" Her eyes were smoldering now, presenting a deeper blue than her normal happy sapphire. "Foolish me, here I assumed we were already on that same page together, since for the past year we've talked and talked and _talked_ and then we talked some more! Guess that assumption made an ass out of you and me, didn't it?"

"Hey!" he fumed, irritated, the chain of the necklace swinging wildly as he threw his hands up above his head.

"Don't you _dare_ ever do this again!" she threatened him.

"Or what?" he wanted to know, his chin up.

"Or I'll – I'll…" The fight went out of her abruptly. Her mouth quivered and she sat down on the steps, as if her legs had given out. "I'd be hurt," she answered honestly, her voice quavering.

He realized that his own legs were shaking too. Carefully, he sat down next to her. "That's the last thing I'd ever want to do." Cautiously, he put a hand on her shoulder. "I never want to hurt you. And I didn't mean to. In fact, I thought I was keeping hurt away from you by not telling you."

To his immense relief, she leaned against him. "Good intentions and secrets don't match, Luke, ever. Secrets never get kept, and then it all blows up in your face."

He put his arm around her and gently started rubbing her bare arm. "That was a pretty deep thought there."

"Yeah, well, I've had things go south on me a time or two. You learn."

He turned his head and pressed a kiss against her temple. "I am sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Just be smarter next time."

"You're going to let me have a next time?"

She sighed, as if he was so much work. "Of course I am."

"Then…you still love me?" He was teasing, but he also desperately needed to hear her say it.

She rolled her eyes and pouted. "Of _course_ I still love you."

"You still want to get married?"

"Yes," she grumbled.

"In October?"

"Yes, Luke, in October."

"On the 23rd?"

"Gee, I guess, since we've already ordered the invitations."

"Lorelai, I need you to be serious." He twisted his body on the step, and urged her to turn around to face him. "Are you OK with the date, now that you know about my mom?"

She put her hand against his neck and watched his face. "Are _you_ OK with it?"

"I am. In fact, now that I've had time to get used to it, I think it's very…fitting. I'm pretty sure my mom would think it was an honor. And I'm also pretty sure…she would have adored you." He had to choke out the last few words.

"Aww, Luke." She put both arms around him, holding him tight.

"Do you still want the necklace?" he asked her softly, his head against hers.

"Yes."

"Do you want to try it on?"

She disentangled herself from him then, pulling back and looked slightly amused. "Seriously? You have to ask?" She turned around and lifted up her hair.

He fastened the chain around her neck, then kissed her skin right above the clasp.

Lorelai dropped her hair and looked down at the dangling necklace. "Luke, it's beautiful. I love it." She twisted back around to hug him again. "I love you. And I love…I love that you think your mom would have liked me."

"She would," Luke said quietly.

They just sat and held each other for a while, until Lorelai shifted and brought her lips to his neck. "So," she asked, between little kisses, "do you want to come inside?"

"Yes," Luke said, his eyes closed, enjoying her lips against his skin.

"Do you…want to come upstairs with me?"

"Yes."

She moved his t-shirt collar, finding new places to press her mouth. "Do you want to get into bed with me?"

Luke stifled a groan and tried to laugh. "Seriously? You have to ask?"

"Do you –"

"Whatever that question is, the answer's yes." He stood up and pulled her up as well.

"How do you know? Maybe I was going to ask you to trim my toenails."

"The answer's still yes." He kissed her long and slowly, savoring the lack of secrets between them. "But I think we can find something better to do than trim your toenails."

"Trim something else?" she suggested, wagging her eyebrows.

"Come on," he said, picking up his glass and the jewelry box, and starting towards the door. "Let's see how fast we can convince Rory it's time to go to bed."

* * *

"The hottest weekend of the summer and we decide to drive into New York," Luke grumbled, wiping dampness from his brow.

From the other end of the bench seat, Lorelai laughed. "No one could have predicted the truck's air conditioning would crap out 20 minutes into the trip. And besides, I suspect that no matter what the weather, you'd be crabby about driving into the city."

"It's all the asphalt," he complained. "Just a sea of concrete and tar, holding in the heat. It's got to be 30 degrees hotter here than back home."

"It's not _that_ hot," Lorelai disputed, striving to be upbeat, even as she tugged her ponytail higher above her perspiring neck.

"That's because you're not stuck here in the middle of the Sahara Desert," Rory protested, lifting her sweaty legs from the vinyl covering the truck's seat. "Even if there was any air, the two adult mountains I'm trapped between would stop it from hitting me."

"Are you sure you're my kid?" Lorelai questioned. "You sure sound more like him than me today." She pointed at Luke.

"I'm hot," Rory whined.

"We'll be there soon," Lorelai optimistically replied. "Right?"

"Don't ask me." He waved irritably at her. "You took the map."

"Only because Liz's directions were starting to make your jaw clench in that way that means you're about to erupt like Old Faithful, and I didn't want Rory to witness any incidents of road rage today." She looked down at the notes scribbled on the paper she pulled from her purse, then studied the sign on the street corner. "Three more blocks. Turn right."

"Wow, is that it?" Rory asked, as they slowed in front of their destination.

Lorelai confirmed the number and nodded. "That's it."

Luke drove the truck further down the street, watching for the lot Liz had told them to park in, but Rory twisted in her seat, gazing back at the multi-story brick building. "It's a real apartment building," she observed, awestruck.

"What did you think it would be?" Lorelai asked, sounding amused.

"It's just, I've never been in a real apartment before."

"Sweetie, of course you have. Luke lives in an apartment. Sookie lives in an apartment."

"Uh-uh." Rory shook her head, disagreeing. "Those places are just the upstairs of other places. They don't count. This is a real New York apartment building. You know, like on TV. Like _The Jeffersons_!"

Even Luke had to grin at that. "Don't expect this apartment to look like _The Jeffersons_ ," he advised. "It'll be more like…What was that other show?" he asked Lorelai. "The 'dy-no-mite' one?"

" _Good Times_ ," she answered, unsticking her legs from the seat and exiting the truck. "And that's just what we're going to have today! Good times!"

"Right," Luke sighed, wishing he could believe that.

They walked down the street to the apartment building, letting Rory open the door and ring for the elevator in the lobby, much to her satisfaction.

Luke had to knock two times on the apartment door before they got a response.

"Yeah?" a deep voice growled from the other side of the door.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Jess?" he asked, since the voice was much too deep to be that of his flaky sister.

"Yeah?" the voice said again, now sounding more like a pre-teen boy.

"It's Luke." He shifted uncomfortably. "Your…uh, you know, your uncle."

The door opened, reluctantly, it seemed. A thin, dark-haired, scowling boy stood before them.

Lorelai took in a sharp breath. "I see the family resemblance," she observed, stifling a giggle.

"Hey, uh…Jess?" Luke knew it had to be him, but seeing how much the kid had grown from the little boy of his memory was throwing him off.

Jess gave a quick dip of his head, affirming his identity.

Luke sensed that Lorelai was holding back, letting him take the lead, but he was also aware that she was watching their interaction – or rather, _in_ action. After a few more seconds of no advancement she sighed and took over.

"Jess! Hi! I'm Lorelai." She stepped through the door, not waiting for an invitation, and lightly put her arm around the boy's shoulders in a not-quite-a-hug greeting. When he stiffened at the familiarity, she hastily patted his back and took a step away. "In case you haven't heard the big news, I'm marrying Luke. And this is my daughter, Rory." She waved at Rory, encouraging her to come inside the apartment, too.

"Hi," Rory said, not as shyly as she normally would. Luke knew that she was forcing herself to ramp up her friendliness because she could see how uncomfortable Jess was. She really _was_ a great kid.

"We figured out on the way up here that you are exactly two months older than Rory," Lorelai informed Jess.

Jess darted a look at Rory, just as quickly looked away, and made a grunt of acknowledgement.

"It's so cool you live in an apartment!" Rory enthused, not able to hold it back any longer.

At that, Jess did look at her fully, his eyes opening wide. "It's just an apartment," he muttered. "Nothing special."

"That's because you're used to it." Rory walked over to the window and looked out. "It's pretty amazing to me."

"Why? Where do you live?" Jess asked, following her over to the window.

Lorelai turned to Luke, giving him a grin, and motioned for him to enter the apartment. He did, closing the door behind him.

"Mom and I live in a house, in a little town in Connecticut called Stars Hollow," Rory explained, standing on her tiptoes at the window, trying to see even further down the street. "Well, now we do. We used to live in the potting shed behind the Inn."

"You lived where in the what?" Jess asked, staring at the strange girl next to him.

Lorelai chuckled. "Yeah, hon, you'll probably need to explain that in a little more detail."

"Well, an Inn's like a hotel," Rory started to elaborate, her brows knitted together seriously.

"I know _that_ ," Jess interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, OK!" Rory smiled instead of taking offense at his tone. "Mom works at the Inn, and Mia, the woman who owns it, turned this little shed on the grounds into a sort of house for us. And we lived there for almost 9 years before we moved into a real house."

Jess shook his head, one eyebrow rising skeptically. "And did little mice come in and sweep your floor every day?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds like a fairytale," Rory giggled, "but we always had to do our own chores."

"Darn it!" Lorelai cheerfully added.

"Jess, where's your mom?" Luke broke in. He'd been craning his neck and straining his ears, trying to find evidence of his sister.

"Work," Jess said with a shrug.

"What!" Luke couldn't believe it. "But we made the trip today because she said this was a day off for her!"

"Well, it is, from her normal job."

"You mean she's got more than one?"

"Yeah, when she can." Jess shrugged again. "She's got her real job, during the week, and then she works some weekend shifts at the deli down at the corner, if they can use her."

Luke opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, knowing it wouldn't do any good to yell at Jess, but he sure wanted to yell at somebody.

"Wow, that's rough," Lorelai said sympathetically, giving Luke a quelling look. "So it sounds like she's pretty close by?"

"Yeah, just down the street. She said to come over for lunch after you got here."

Rory's face lit up. "An apartment _and_ a deli? Cool!"

"You'll be an uptown girl before you know it," Lorelai told her enthusiastic daughter.

"Should we head on over?"

"If you're ready for lunch," Jess said.

"Oh, sweetie, you'll find out we Gilmore girls are always ready for lunch!" Lorelai told him.

"Or dinner!" Rory added.

"Or breakfast!" Lorelai laughed.

"Or any food at any time of day," Luke put in.

"OK then." Jess picked up a ring of keys and moved to the door, waiting for them to follow.

On the way down to the lobby and while walking down the street to the deli, Lorelai and Rory kept up a steady stream of chatter, first discussing what they hoped to eat for lunch, then commenting on the people and buildings they were passing by. Luke and Jess silently walked behind the girls.

"This is it," Jess said, suddenly darting in front to hold open the door.

Stepping inside the deli gave Luke weird sense of déjà vu. Except for the line of people waiting at the counter to order, he could have been back at his diner in Stars Hollow. The wooden floors, the tables clustered in front of the big windows, even the old antique cash register looked familiar. He was so busy taking stock of his surroundings that he missed the thin woman with the swinging ponytail barreling towards him.

"Big brother!" he heard, and then Liz was hanging onto him, squeezing him in an exuberant hug.

"Hey, Liz," he said gruffly, hugging her back, trying, but failing to remember the last time he'd hugged his sister.

"I can't believe you're here!" Liz took a step back to look him over, her eyes sparkling. "God, you look good. Doesn't he look good?" she demanded of Jess.

Jess looked at his mother in a way that clearly said ' _You're nuts'_ and didn't bother to respond.

" _I_ think he looks good," Lorelai agreed with a knowing wink.

Liz turned at the comment, taking in Lorelai. Her mouth dropped opened. "Is this her?" she asked Luke.

"That's her," he confirmed.

"Oh my God, the _babies_ you two are going to make!" Liz shrieked, causing most of the heads in line to turn and stare at them appraisingly.

" _Mom!"_ Jess hissed, at the same time Luke groaned " _Liz!"_

Lorelai looked a little stunned but still managed to laugh. "Oh, well, we might try that someday, but right now I think we'll just stick with the one I've already got." She put her arm around Rory's shoulders. "This is my daughter, Rory."

"Well, see? Just look at her!" Liz waved a hand back at her brother. "You combine that with him, and you've won the beautiful baby contest hands down."

Jess was still glaring at his mother, so Liz shook a reproving finger at him. "You'll find out, Mr. Smarty, that's why people decide to get married in the first place. It's because they're ready to have babies. Right?" she said, looking to Luke and Lorelai for confirmation.

"I think there might be a few more reasons than that," Luke said dryly.

Rory's dumbfounded gaze searched over her mother for clues, then narrowed suspiciously as she turned to look at him.

 _Well, there's a conversation we're going to have to have now_ , Luke thought with a sigh. _Thanks a_ _ **lot**_ _, Liz._

Liz hooked her arm through Lorelai's, escorting them over to the end of the line. "Luke got all the looks in the family," she explained. "He got those big blue eyes from our mom, and then to top it off, he got those eyelashes, too. You should see his baby pictures. Talk about not fair."

"I don't suppose you happen to have those baby pictures, do you?" Lorelai wanted to know, smiling devilishly at Luke.

"Nah, he's got all the stuff from the folks," Liz said.

"Oh, really?" Lorelai looked intrigued.

"Yeah, I've moved too much to cart around piles of pictures and stuff like that." Liz herded them into line. "Order what you want and find a table. I'll bring your food over and then join you. I told the boss I'd work until you guys showed up."

They went through the line, got their drinks, and then found a table big enough for five. Conversation lagged as they all sipped at their drinks.

"So," Rory said after a few quiet minutes, edging forward on her seat. "Babies, huh?" Her cool eyes flicked from Lorelai to Luke.

Luke groaned but was saved from answering when Liz and another waitress appeared with huge trays of food.

"Scoot," she told Jess, joining them once all of their choices had been placed before them.

"Not so close," Jess grumbled, trying to move his chair another few inches away from his mother.

"Is she like that too?" Liz wanted to know, motioning between Lorelai and Rory. "Ashamed to admit she even has a mother?"

"Oh, no, not at all. She _looooves_ me!" Lorelai insisted, trying to smother Rory with a hug, which prompted Rory to shove her away. "See?"

Liz had lots of questions about Stars Hollow, most of which Lorelai answered as they ate. While the adults ate and talked, Jess leaned towards Rory.

"You don't like it?" he quietly asked, pointing to her pastrami on rye.

"Not really," she whispered back. "I thought it would taste different than it does."

"You haven't had it before? Why'd you order it then?"

"Because that's what you always hear people ordering in New York delis. I wanted to have something authentic."

Jess fought down a grin, seeming to understand instinctively that Rory would be embarrassed if he laughed at her. "How do you feel about chicken salad?"

"It's fine," she shrugged, not understanding.

"Then switch with me," Jess offered.

"Oh, I couldn't! I've already taken some bites."

"Just cut off that part, and I'll do the same thing with mine."

"You're sure?" Rory looked at him gratefully.

"Doesn't make any difference to me," Jess said offhandedly. "I'll eat just about anything."

"Thank you!" Rory quickly traded sandwiches across the table.

Lorelai elbowed Luke in the ribs, wanting to make sure he'd observed his nephew's generosity. "Stop," he muttered, rubbing his ribs. But he was proud of Jess, just the same.

Once the catching up talk died down, Lorelai got the point of the visit. "So, Liz, I don't know if you're aware, but your brother's bachelor days are numbered."

Liz grinned. "I have heard that, as a matter of fact!" She reached across and patted Luke's hand. "When's the big day?"

"October 23rd," Lorelai said.

"Oh!" Liz placed her hand across her heart, looking touched. "Mom's birthday?"

"Yeah," Luke acknowledged, incredibly thankful that he'd already cleared all that up with Lorelai. He shook his head at his stupidity, wondering why he hadn't realized that somebody would tell her, even if he didn't, and how much worse things would have been if she'd learned that fact from somebody else.

"And we'd like for you to have a part in the wedding," Lorelai continued.

"Me?" Liz's mouth dropped open. "You want me in your wedding?"

"Luke's told me that you have a singing voice that's chock-full of character. Would you be willing to sing a song for us at our wedding?"

Still looking astonished, Liz sat back on her seat. "You want me to sing?" She ignored Lorelai's enthusiastic nods and concentrated on her brother. "Luke? Really? You want me there? You want me to _sing_?"

Luke found his throat clogging up, watching the disbelief play over his sister's face. Why had he ignored their relationship for so long? He cleared his throat. "It would mean a lot to me, Liz."

"You really want me to sing?"

This time Luke was the one to reach across the table and put his hand on top of his sister's. "I really want you there with us. And if you're OK with singing, I'd love to hear that voice of yours again."

Liz chuckled, finally beginning to believe he was sincere. "I'll do it if you play guitar for me."

"No way."

Liz laughed louder. "OK, _that_ I believe!" She beamed at both of them. "What do you want me to sing?"

"Surprise us!" Lorelai impulsively suggested.

"Oh, I don't think –" Luke started to protest.

"No, really, that will be cool!" Lorelai was getting more and more enthused. "You know Luke probably better than almost anyone. I want to see what you'd pick, the song that you think represents him the best." She turned to pat his knee. "It will be sort of like a mini personality test or something."

"Oh, yeah, I've got a couple of ideas already!" Liz said, bobbing her head like crazy, as if she was already hearing the beat of a tune in her head.

Jess caught Luke's eyes for one brief moment, giving him a look that plainly said ' _You're an idiot if you let this happen_.' The next second he went back to mechanically eating his swapped sandwich, ignoring the matrimony talk altogether.

"Just remember that this is a _wedding_ , Liz. In a church. And Lorelai's parents are going to be there," Luke said, desperately trying to set some boundaries.

"No sweat, big brother. I'll find something that totally fits the occasion. Hey!" She suddenly leaned forward. "Can I bring someone?"

"A guest? Of course!" Lorelai leaned forward too, wanting to learn the scoop. "Are you dating someone?"

"Nah. Oh, but maybe I will be by then – October's a long time away! No, I was thinking of this guy I used to sing with sometimes. Would you be cool if I had him come along to back me up?"

Lorelai glanced at Luke. "Well, sure…I guess. Will he need a room?"

"No – well, I don't know. I'm not sure if he still lives in Salisbury. That was where he used to live, anyway. I'll look him up, see if he feels like getting the ol' band back together or not." She chuckled.

"You dated this guy?" Luke wanted to know.

"No, not really. Maybe we hooked up a time or two, but nothing serious. We were just really good at the harmony stuff. And you know…sharing some _other_ stuff."

"Great," Luke sighed.

"Well, bring him along," Lorelai generously assured her. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Merry," Luke muttered. "Is that the term we're using?"

"Oh, hush you!" Lorelai gave him a playful smack. "It's all going to be great. The best wedding ever!"

"I like her!" Liz gaily informed Luke.

"God help me, but I do too," Luke said, beginning to smile.

"And _that's_ why we're getting married," Lorelai explained to Jess, and possibly also to Rory. "The liking each other part. Not the baby part."

Jess looked at her as if she'd just beamed down to their table from an interstellar spacecraft. "Whatever you say," he said blandly.

They talked more about the wedding as they finished their food, filling Liz in on their plans so far.

When they prepared to leave the table, Liz picked up her purse.

"That is _so_ cute!" Lorelai grabbed at the leather strap, wanting to examine it closer.

"Isn't it?" Liz willingly handed over the purse, eager for Lorelai to check it out. "Guess what I paid for it?"

"Weeks and weeks and weeks of tips, if I had to guess. I recognize the designer."

Liz made a buzzer noise. "Then you'd be wrong! I picked it up just a block away, at a secondhand place. Didn't even cost me ten dollars."

Lorelai looked suitably impressed. "Seriously? Wow, you know how to shop. We have Clara's Bargain Bin in Stars Hollow, but nobody in town wants to get rid of quality stuff like this."

"Hey, you want to go over and have a look?" Liz suggested.

"You bet!" Lorelai immediately responded, jumping to her feet. Then she remembered who else she was with. "Luke, would you mind? For just a couple of minutes?"

Luke heard Jess groan behind him, and he was tempted to add one of his own. But he could never resist Lorelai when her eyes got that happy sparkle in them. "As long as it's just to have a quick look. This is supposed to be a visit today, not a shopping trip."

"Right, right. Absolutely," Lorelai agreed. "We'll just run in and out. We'll be so quick, you won't even believe it."

Luke shook his head, indeed _not_ believing it already.

Liz and Lorelai lead the way, their heads bowed together, talking about favorite purses and shoes they'd had through the years. Behind them walked Jess and Rory, with Rory asking dozens of questions about the city and Jess's school, some of which the taciturn boy even answered with more than two- or three-word sentences. Luke brought up the rear of their contingent, despising anew the heat escaping from the sidewalk.

Once in the store, the women headed straight over to the side of the building displaying clothing. Jess pointed and jerked his head, and Rory followed him over to a row of books. Left on his own, Luke wandered the aisles until he found the hardware section.

Eventually he decided not to buy a folding ruler, even though it was in great shape and only cost a buck. He examined the fishing gear, but decided he didn't need any of that, either.

He saw that Rory and Jess had migrated from the books to the toy section. He smiled at that, glad to see that they were still kids after all. He made another turn through the store, then found a quiet corner where he could hold up the wall until Lorelai and Liz were ready to leave.

But just a few minutes later Rory appeared in front of him, surprising him.

"Luke, can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course."

She quickly looked over her shoulder, making sure they were alone. "Here's the deal," she said in a low voice. "There's something here that Jess really wants, but he doesn't have the money. I'd buy it, but I don't have enough with me. Would you buy it for him?"

"Depends on what it is, but sure, probably." Luke straightened up from wall. "Want to show me?"

Without another word, Rory turned and headed back to the toy section, where Jess looked at him warily.

"Found a treasure, did you?" Luke asked.

Jess did that shrug thing again, which was apparently a large part of his communication skills. He pointed at a large, flat box propped up on the back shelf.

Luke leaned forward to get a better look. "Oh, I remember these kits!" he said fondly, recognizing the name. "They've got all of the metal pieces, with the tiny little toolbox to put it all together." He looked at Jess speculatively. "This is something you'd play with?"

"It's not for me," Jess said quickly, sounding affronted. "It's for school."

"School?" Luke grinned, thinking that he knew what was really going on. "Kind of the wrong time of year for school, isn't it?"

Jess cast a quick, panicked look at Rory, then bent his head to stare at the floor. "I'm in summer school," he muttered.

Luke wasn't sure what to say. "Oh, well, that's –"

"It's not my fault," Jess went on, still looking embarrassed. "It's not like I'm stupid or something."

"No, no, I'm sure –"

"It's just I missed some stuff, this last time we moved, and the principal said I could make it up over the summer."

"School. In the _summer_ ," Rory said dreamily.

"And it's easier for Mom, you know, when I'm in school," Jess added, still sounding a little defensive. "I go to school, and then to the Y for an after-school program, and then she doesn't have to worry about me alone in the apartment all day. Although I could. It wouldn't bother me. I can take care of myself."

"Sure, I'm sure you can," Luke said faintly. Guilt was filling him up. For over a year he'd been actively involved in Rory's schedule, making sure she had supervision at all times. Never once had he given a thought to his sister and what she'd had to do all of these years to make sure Jess was safe, being taken care of while she worked. Why had he never realized that?

With effort he pulled himself back to the present. "So this is something for school?"

"Yeah, there's a contest in the winter for middle-schoolers, called Future Cities. My teacher thought that we could get a head start on it."

"It sounds really cool," Rory cut in. "I wish we did it."

Jess nodded. "Each group has to figure out a way to plan out a city, a better one, in the future. You have to have a plan for transportation, sanitation, how to get energy…everything. You have to make a model, and then you have to write up your ideas, and explain how everything would work."

"And this would help?" Luke pointed at the set.

"Yeah." Jess had apparently used up most of his words for the time being.

Luke reached over and picked up the box from the shelf. "Think it's all here?" he asked skeptically, giving it a shake.

"Doesn't matter, I'm not making what's on the box. I just want the pieces to help us build some of our buildings, maybe the solar power plant."

"Solar power, huh?" He glanced at the sticker on the side. "$12.00. Sounds like a bargain to me."

"I'll pay you back," Jess said quickly.

"Nah, no need. I'm happy to get you something for school. Just send me a picture of it once you get it built, how about that?"

Jess seemed to think about that intently. "Yeah," he finally said, very seriously. "I think I could do that."

Luke put the large box under his arm, but then another thought made him pause. "Should we check with your mom, first? Make sure she's OK about all of this coming home?"

Jess looked at him for a second or two as if he was telling a joke. "She won't care," he assured Luke.

"Guess we're all set, then." Luke glanced down the aisle towards the checkout. "Should we go look for your moms?"

Rory picked up a box containing a model farm and held it tightly to her chest. "I'm getting this," she announced firmly, as if she expected an argument.

"You don't have to," Jess grumbled.

"I want to," Rory insisted. "That way I can be a part of building your city, too. But it can be our secret. You don't have to tell anybody else about it."

"I have enough money for that one. I could buy it."

"Nope." Rory started to look very pleased with herself. "Look, you let me eat your sandwich. This is just a way for me to pay you back for being so nice."

"But that's not…I didn't…you don't…" Jess stopped his stammering and stared at Rory's big smile as a flush gradually spread over his own face. He dropped his gaze to the floor. "Thanks," he mumbled, giving up.

Luke started the kids moving over to where he thought ladies' clothing was, but Lorelai and Liz popped up in front of them before they'd walked more than a few feet.

"Luke!" Lorelai's eyes were shining and she looked almost happier than she did on the day his new, extra-deep coffee mugs had arrived in the diner. Liz was grinning broadly too. They were obviously now partners in crime, the mischief practically oozing out of both of them.

"What?" he asked, instantly suspicious.

"Liz knows this other really great place to shop. Would you mind if we sort of made a detour over there, too?"

At first Luke thought he'd sighed twice, but then he realized that the second one had come from Jess. He looked at the boy in sympathy, then looked at the two women jonesing for a shopping spree. "Tell you what," he suggested. "Why don't you two go shop some more and I'll take the kids back to the apartment? Jess, you've got the key, right?"

"Right!" Jess immediately confirmed.

"That sound OK to everyone?"

All enthusiastically agreed. Lorelai leaned over to kiss him quickly. He felt her rosy cheek hot against his face for a second, and then she and Liz bolted for the door.

"Guess we're on our own," he told the kids. "Come on, let's get checked out."

Back in the apartment, Jess took the big box from Luke and started for a corner of the living room.

"Will it be OK if we make a mess out here?" Rory questioned. "Should we go set it up in your room instead? I don't want your mom to get mad when she gets home."

Jess stopped abruptly, staring down at the floor again in discomfort. "This is…well, this is basically my room out here."

Rory looked flustered, but tried hard to act nonchalant. "OK, sure!" she said, but couldn't help glancing around at her surroundings.

"It just makes sense this way," Jess tried to explain, giving yet another shrug. "This place only has one bedroom, and it's better for Mom to be behind a closed door. It's quieter, and I'm cool being out here."

Rory tentatively touched a desk and a bookcase which lined the corners where they were standing. "So these are yours?"

"Yeah." Jess patted what looked like a rolled up mattress and some pillows. "This is a futon, where I sleep at night. It's kind of like a Japanese thing."

"Neat," Rory said, looking suitably impressed. She looked around again. "You know, this isn't much different than how Mom and I lived before we moved to our house. We lived in this one big room and shared everything. Actually, it was probably a lot smaller than your apartment is. You have to be pretty creative to live in not very much space. Mom put up this big, pretty curtain around our bathtub, because otherwise it would have been right out in our living room!"

Jess smiled slightly at her memory. "Ready to get started?"

Rory nodded, and Jess pulled a coffee table with a large, flat surface over for them to work on. He collected big pillows from the couch and put them on the floor for them to sit on.

"Comfy," Rory decreed, bouncing up and down on hers.

At first Luke sat with the kids, his hands itching to put together something from the building kit. But soon it became obvious that he really wasn't needed. They meshed together as if they'd been pals since birth, and seemed to be able to communicate about the project almost psychically. Jess concentrated on constructing something suitable to house a solar energy plant, while Rory attempted to alter the silo from the farm set into an observatory. Eventually he pushed himself away to wander around the apartment.

"You guys need something to drink?" he asked, finding himself in the kitchen.

"No," they both answered.

"But go ahead if you want something," Jess offered distractedly, trying to fit two tiny pieces together.

Luke opened the refrigerator and found a pitcher of iced tea on the top shelf. He opened the cupboard where glasses would have been in their childhood home, and sure enough, that was exactly where they were. He filled a glass partway full and then settled himself in front of the TV. The remote was nearby and he found a baseball game almost immediately. Drowsiness followed a few minutes later.

It didn't surprise him to discover he'd fallen asleep. His early morning alarm, working most of the breakfast rush, and then the long drive into the city almost guaranteed an involuntary nap. What surprised him enough to jolt him awake was a sudden loud " _Damn it!"_

"Hey!" he cautioned, groggily turning in his seat to face the kids, instinctively knowing he needed to be the adult in the room.

Rory was holding a notebook and looking at Jess with a mixture of shock and high regard. Jess was red-faced and scowling, his arms crossed over his chest, an assortment of small fasteners and metal parts littered all around him.

"Jess?" Luke calmly questioned. "Problem?"

"This stuff's stupid!" Jess burst out. "We might as well take it back and get your money. There's no way to make it work!"

Luke cleared his throat and gave his head a small shake, trying to clear away the leftover sleepiness. He stood and stretched, and took another drink of tea before coming over to see what the issue was.

"Oh, yeah. I remember the headaches with this stuff." He bent over and picked up a couple of the pieces. "Everything's so tiny, and there's no wiggle room. Everything has to line up perfectly, or it doesn't work." He held the pieces out to Jess. "Show me what you were trying to do."

"I wanted _this_ to bolt onto to _this_ , and then I wanted _this piece_ –" He paused, long enough to snatch it up from the floor – "to be attached here. _See?"_

Luke studied the situation. "Yeah, I see. And I also see the problem. You need three hands to make that work. Luckily –" He held out his own hands. "We have four between us."

"Why even bother." Jess was still sulky and irritated. "The pieces don't want to work."

"And maybe they won't," Luke agreed. "But you try holding them and I'll bolt them together, OK?"

"I guess." Still unconvinced, Jess fitted the angles together and watched as his uncle fastened them. "OK, so I guess that does work," he grumbled, not wanting to admit it.

"Sometimes teamwork is the most important thing," Luke said, trying to say it in a way that didn't sound like a lesson of some sort.

"That looks good," Rory volunteered.

"Yeah?" Jess looked at it critically.

"Yeah," Rory confirmed.

Jess examined it again before nodding. "Yeah," he then echoed, agreeing with her assessment.

Luke rooted through the remaining pieces in the box. "A lot of these are already bolted together. Do you want them like that?"

Jess shook his head.

"Why don't I go through all this and take everything apart, and sort out the different sizes for you? Then it will be all ready to go when you need them. And I'll be here, ready to lend a hand, when you've got a difficult piece to build." Luke sat down next to the box, ready to go to work, his inner 8-year-old thrilled at the prospect of getting to play with the shiny pieces.

Luke stayed silent, and the kids soon gave him no more notice than a piece of furniture. From his quiet spot he learned that Rory had retrieved her notebook from her book bag and was studiously documenting everything Jess was building. More than that, she was adding a little story to go along with each creation, fabricating a life for the pretend people who worked there.

"I hope I can get this done before we leave," she worried, scribbling faster.

"I like to write too," Jess quietly confessed. "Maybe I could finish it up, if you left me your ideas."

"Right. Yeah," Rory said, her voice lacking conviction.

"Or…" Jess seemed to understand her hesitation. "If you take it home and finish it, could you send it to me later, maybe?"

"I could send you a copy!" Rory perked up. "There's a copy machine at the Inn, and I know how to work it. I bet Mom would let me make a copy, and help me mail it to you."

"That'd be great," Jess said, nodding enthusiastically at her idea.

"Here." Rory turned to a blank page in the back of the notebook and handed it to him. "Write down your name and address."

Jess cleared a spot on their work surface so he could write down his information. Rory leaned over, watching him. "What's that?" she asked, pointing.

Jess smirked at her. "My name."

"But I thought…" Uncertainly, she looked from Jess to Luke. "I thought your name was Danes."

"Nope, not me," Jess said dryly. "I am Jesse James Mariano. Lucky me, huh?"

Rory was still obviously puzzled, but after a second her head popped up and she laughed. " _Jesse James_? For real?"

"Yep. My mother. What a kidder."

Rory giggled. "Well, my mom named me after herself, so…"

Jess smiled too. "If you ask me, naming babies gives parents too much power."

Rory laughed and nodded, but was still thoughtful. "So the Mariano comes from…?"

"Daddy Dear," Jess muttered.

"Sorry, I'm not usually that dense. I just hadn't heard anyone mention your dad," she explained.

Jess snorted and Luke's head shot up. Snorting was going to be his own reaction to the disliked Jimmy Mariano, but Jess had beaten him to it. Not only that, but the snort itself sounded just like one Luke's father would have bestowed, once upon a time.

"He's not much to mention, that's for sure," Jess grumbled.

Rory looked sympathetic. "You and your dad don't get along?"

This time Luke did snort, in disgust.

"Wouldn't know. Never been around him."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Jess shrugged, trying to act like it was no big deal, but he couldn't look at Rory. "I was born; he left. And that was the end of that story."

Rory's mouth dropped open, not so much in shock as outrage. "Jess, that's terrible!"

"Yeah, well…" He shrugged again. "Mom and I do OK without him."

Rory's fingers ran over the edge of the coffee table while she quietly contemplated everything she'd learned. "I see my dad sometimes. Not a lot, but sometimes he calls and we talk and stuff like that. I'm sorry that your dad is so stinky." She inched forward a little bit, getting Jess to look over at her. "My mom and dad never got married. That's why I'm a Gilmore and not a Hayden. I guess I thought you were probably the same way."

Jess met her earnest eyes for a moment before he dropped them to his lap again. "I guess your mom was smarter than mine was."

Luke stayed silent, mentally agreeing with Jess' opinion.

Rory scooted a few inches closer still. "We've got a lot in common though, don't we? We both live with only our moms, and we're used to living in really small spaces. And we both are kinda freaks because we like school, and reading."

"And…writing," Jess softly added to the list of their shared traits.

"Yes!" Rory's face lit up. "And once Luke marries my mom, we'll sort of be in the same family. That's cool, right?"

A small smile twisted up the corners of Jess' mouth. "Yeah, that's pretty cool."

Luke continued to hunch over his task of removing tiny screws from metal building pieces with a Munchkin-sized screwdriver, and decided that this moment alone made the long hot drive into the city totally worth every drop of sweat.

* * *

The kids stayed focused on the task for about another 20 minutes, and by then, Luke was glad to get up from the floor and pour them all drinks. They were debating about what to watch on TV when they heard a commotion in the hall outside the apartment.

The door burst open and at least a dozen huge plastic bags were shoved into the room, followed by a very giddy Liz and Lorelai.

"We're home!" Liz shouted, barely able to get the words out through her laughter.

Lorelai couldn't stop laughing either. Helplessly she collapsed down onto some of the stuffed bags they'd dragged home.

"What is all this?" Luke wanted to know. "What did you guys do?"

That just made both of them laugh harder. Liz joined Lorelai on the floor, hardly able to breathe because of her irrepressible giggles.

"It's…This…" Lorelai tried to find some control. She struggled to get herself into a cross-legged position on the floor, wiped the tears of laughter from her cheeks, and pushed her wind-whipped curls back from her face. She took a deep breath. "Luke," she began, very seriously, and then dissolved into a fit of laughter again.

Liz had almost gotten herself composed, but Lorelai's relapse into hysterics set her off again too.

The kids had been looking on, just as befuddled as Luke, but now Rory started to giggle, and even Jess smiled.

"Lorelai, this is enough. Tell me what's going on. Tell me you're not expecting us to haul all of this home. I mean, come on! How can we do that?"

Lorelai buried her face in her hands, her shoulders still shaking. "OK," she finally said. She wiped off her face again, then held up her hands for Luke to pull her up off the floor. She leaned against him once she was on her feet, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

He hugged her back, even though she was still giggling a little bit and her skin felt sticky from her long walk in the outside heat, dragging home all of the bags.

"Luke," she tried again. "Do you remember how I told you I wished I could put together my own wedding dress from all of the bits and pieces of ones I liked?"

"Yes." He felt extremely wary of where this was going.

"Well…" She waved her arms at the multiple bags. "Behold my wedding dress."

He gulped, looking at the swollen mass of plastic bags littering the apartment floor. "No," he said faintly.

"Luke, it's great. Really. This whole thing didn't even cost a hundred dollars."

He could only stare at her.

"Liz had a coupon, so it cost like practically nothing."

He turned his stare to Liz.

"Really, bro. A great deal!" Liz assured him.

He took a deep breath. "Lorelai, be realistic. You can't –"

"Yes, I can," she insisted. She patted a bag. "This one has a great bodice. This one…" She moved over to another bag. "It has a train long enough to make a skirt as full as I want. This one…Well, this one's for Rory."

"For me?" Rory instantly bounced over to her mother's side.

"You bet! Look at this beautiful color!" Lorelai untied the handles of one bag and pulled out some midnight blue satin. "What I'm planning to do is take the translucent overskirt from this one…" She leaned over and indicated another bag. "And it will go over your dress, and make it look all dreamy and special. I'm using the same stuff to make a jacket for me, too."

"Ooh!" Rory petted the shiny material.

"And all of the other bags have gowns with trim I want to use, or lace I liked, or something else I might use. When I get done, it's going to be the wedding dress of my dreams."

Luke realized he had nothing to counter that with. And if Lorelai was happy…

"Don't forget mine," Liz reminded her.

"Oh, right." Lorelai pointed at yet another bag. "That one's for Liz. I'm going to remake it for her."

"For the wedding?" Luke asked, not fighting it anymore.

Liz shook her head. "No, so that I can start going to renaissance fairs."

"Renna-what?"

"Renaissance fairs. They're like all of the festivals Stars Hollow does, except it's pretend medieval times. Knights and ladies and horses and jousting. People set up booths and sell things, like leather pouches and turkey legs. It's a blast. You'd love it, bro!" She chuckled, knowing how much he'd hate it.

Luke shook his head. "I don't get it. You have to dress up to even go to the thing?"

"Yeah, you can if you want, but I know a couple that runs a booth, and they said I could help them with it some this summer, see if I like it. So I'd need to dress the part to do that." She grinned at her brother. "Lorelai's going to take one of these dresses we found and turn it into a serving wench outfit for me. Smush my boobs all up!" She chuckled, illustrating with her hands.

"Liz, for crying out loud. Aren't you too old for dress-up?" Luke wanted to know.

Liz's face fell and he knew he'd said the wrong thing. Before he could try to make amends, Lorelai stepped in.

"Listen, mister, before we get married, there's one thing we need to get straight." She moved close enough to playfully poke him in the chest. "No woman is _ever_ too old for dress-up!"

Liz let out a howl of delight and rushed over to impulsively hug Lorelai. "I love her!" she announced to the room in general. Then she narrowed in on her brother. "And if you ever do anything stupid enough to lose her, I promise I'll make your life miserable," she threatened him.

Even though Luke knew her warning was nothing but a tease, even the idea of losing Lorelai made a wisp of cold fear sneak up his spine.

"I won't," he promised, and reached out to put his hand on Lorelai's shoulder. "That's one thing you won't ever have to worry about."

"Till death do us part, right Babe?" Lorelai grinned at him.

"Maybe even longer," he pretended to joke back, but deep inside, that was exactly what he believed.

* * *

With all three of them handling multiple bags, it only took one trip to get Lorelai's haul to the truck. The strong wind threatened to rip several of the bags out of their grip, but they all hung on and managed to load them into the pickup's bed.

Luke laid a tarp over all of the bags and secured the feather-light material as best he could with bungee cords. Even so, he still feared that they'd have tulle whipping out behind them all the way back to Connecticut.

They climbed into the truck, paid the parking fee, and gradually found the way back to the highway. They were all tired and didn't say much. Even Lorelai seemed to be all talked out.

Rory was sitting by the window this time, staring out at the passing scenery. Lorelai leaned her head on Luke's shoulder, almost dozing off.

"So," Rory said, breaking the miles of quiet, introspective driving. "Let's talk about these hypothetical babies that are coming."

Lorelai groaned and Luke winced.

"Sweetie, yes, at some point – in the future, way in the future – yes, there may be a time when we decide we want to have a baby. But that wouldn't change anything about how we feel about you," Lorelai began to expound. "You'd still be the special one, the first-born, and we'd always love you just as much as we do now."

"Absolutely," Luke chimed in.

Rory sat forward in her seat, turning so she could stare down both of them. "I know _that_ ," she coolly informed them. "I'm not an idiot."

"Then what is it?" Lorelai asked.

"You two can have as many babies as you want. I just want to make it clear that none of them are getting _my_ room."

There was a short spell of stunned silence, as neither Luke nor Lorelai could tell if Rory was joking or not.

"Um…noted?" Lorelai finally ventured.

Rory nodded, then leaned back into her seat. "Then…" She airily waved her arm at them. "Baby away."

* * *

Sometimes Luke just got a feeling.

Lorelai hadn't said anything at breakfast about coming by the diner for lunch, but around 1:00 on the Wednesday after their trip to New York, he put on a fresh pot of coffee anyway. If she did stop by, it was usually a little past the noon rush, after things at the Inn had calmed down a bit.

 _It never hurts to be prepared_ , he thought, strolling up to the front windows. He looked up and down the street and grinned when he saw her battered car turning the corner.

He was starting to go check on the pie supply when the loud roar of a motorcycle made him look back. Lorelai was just getting out of her car, and the motorcyclist squealed to a stop beside her, effectively blocking her way.

Luke headed for the door instantly, but then the Marlon Brando wannabe pulled off his helmet and Lorelai hopped up and down in delight, her mouth open in an obvious squeal. Luke stopped and watched, a sinking feeling in his gut.

Motorcycle Boy ran a hand through his shaggy hair, and the sandy-colored curls smoothed easily back into place, the evidence of an expensive cut. He quickly got off the bike, and the fringe of his glossy leather coat swung back and forth as he rushed towards Lorelai.

It was almost like watching a shampoo commercial. The guy grabbed Lorelai around her waist, lifting her up and twirling her around. She laughed, her hands on his shoulders.

He went in for a kiss, but Lorelai suddenly seemed to come to her senses. She turned her head, the kiss landing on her cheek, then shoved on his arms, making him put her down.

They talked then, at first apparently amiably, but soon Lorelai's face got stormy. Her arms crossed over her chest. The guy pointed down the street a couple of times. Lorelai stepped back, closer to her car, jerking her chin at the bike.

The guy got back on the bike, pulled his helmet back on. He waved lazily as the bike began to roar down the street, out of Stars Hollow.

Lorelai continued to stand where she was, staring down at the asphalt at her feet.

Once again, Luke began to open the door.

Lorelai's head jerked up, her eyes meeting his through the glass of the diner's door. She put up her hand. _Wait._ She turned and made her way over to one of the benches in front of the gazebo, where she sat down heavily, her legs splayed out in front of her, her head tipped back to rest on the back of the bench.

"So is Lorelai the type of gal who when she says 'give me a minute,' she really means it? Or should you be hightailing it over there to her right now?"

Luke jumped. He hadn't realized that Jolene had been standing right beside him, watching too.

He ignored her and reached again for the door handle, this time succeeding in opening it. Jolene pulled on his arm, stopping him from exiting.

"Luke, don't rush to conclusions. Whatever it is – give her a chance to tell you. Don't yell at her until you hear the whole story."

"I'm not gonna…!" he began hotly. He took a moment, swallowed, then rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm not going to yell at anybody," he then stated, as calmly as he could.

He finally made it out the door and across the street, forcing himself to keep a measured pace in spite of the way he wanted to run to her as fast as he could.

He stood in front of her for several long moments before she sensed his presence. She straightened up then, studying him, not smiling. She began to nervously wring her hands.

Eventually Lorelai sighed. "That," she said flatly, "was Christopher."

Luke had often wondered how he'd react if Lorelai's ex/Rory's father would someday turn up, but what he did next was something he never could have predicted.

He threw back his head and laughed.

* * *

 **End note:** Eledgy said that she'd once read a story where Jess' name was also Jesse James, so I wanted to acknowledge that. I used to watch a soap opera ( _Guiding Light_ , way back when!) and a character's name was Harley Davidson Cooper. For some reason that popped into my head and I could just imagine Liz thinking how clever and cute it was to name her baby son after a notorious scoundrel.


	7. No More Excuses

_As the motorcycle roared out of town, Luke escaped the diner and Jolene's concern. He walked across the street, forcing himself to keep a measured pace in spite of the way he wanted to run to Lorelai as fast as he could._

 _He stood in front of her for several long moments before she sensed his presence. She then straightened up on the bench, studying him, not smiling. She began to nervously wring her hands._

 _Eventually Lorelai sighed. "That," she said flatly, "was Christopher."_

 _Luke had often wondered how he'd react if the combo platter of Lorelai's ex/Rory's father would someday turn up, but what he did next was something he never could have predicted._

 _He threw back his head and laughed…_

* * *

Once he started laughing, he couldn't seem to stop. The chuckles and snickers just kept coming. He was reminded of Lorelai and Liz the weekend before, when they had collapsed onto the floor after their shopping spree, helpless with giggles. Eventually he bent over, hands on his knees, taking deep breaths, trying to force himself back into seriousness.

"Want to let me in on the joke?" Lorelai asked coldly.

He glanced over at her, and the stern, almost schoolmarm-ish glare on her face broke another snicker loose. Trying to stifle it made him choke instead. He coughed and cleared his throat.

"Well?" she demanded.

"It's just…you know…" He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair, trying to pantomime Christopher's actions. "The helmet, and…and the hair and all. The leather jacket, with not even a scuff mark on it." He finally looked straight at Lorelai. "Let me guess. He really gets into pretending to be the bad boy, doesn't he?"

Lorelai pursed her lips, looking annoyed.

"And the motorcycle. It drives his parents nuts, right? That's why he rides it?"

Recognition flashed across her face, and he knew he'd gotten that one right.

Luke sighed. He looked down the street, his eyes following the way the motorcycle had left town, and then he sat down next to her on the bench. "So that was Christopher, huh?"

"That was him," she said curtly.

Luke leaned back on the bench, contemplating. "I thought he'd be cuter," he observed.

Lorelai's head whipped around. "What did you say?"

Luke shrugged. "Cuter. You know. The way you've always…I just thought he'd be more…" At a loss, he used his hands to illustrate a vague body-shape in the air. "…more like your hunky Dr. What's-His-Face on TV."

Stunned, Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "You don't think Christopher's _cute_?" she squeaked.

"Not really." Now uncomfortable with the conversation, Luke leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees. "He's all right, I guess. I just thought he'd be more…" He trailed off, conscious of Lorelai's eyes drilling into him. "He's just not what I expected," he summed up.

For a minute Lorelai struggled for words and finally burst out with, "You know what? I am _not_ going to sit here and discuss whether Christopher is cute or not with _you_!"

"That sounds like a good idea." Luke nodded, extremely relieved to end that whole train of thought.

She flounced about on the bench, trying to settle her ruffled feelings.

After a minute of strained silence, Luke broached a new topic. "Did you know he was coming?"

"No," Lorelai said, an edge to her voice.

Luke nodded, without comment. "Did he see Rory?"

"No," she said, the edge even sharper this time.

Luke nodded again, but this time he asked nothing further, remembering Jolene's advice to let Lorelai tell him in her own time. He sat up, aware of her rigid posture from out of the corner of his eye. Carefully he reached out, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Initially she flinched at his touch before relaxing into it. Encouraged, he moved his hand under her hair, to the back of her neck, and tried to massage away the tension he encountered there.

Sighing, she leaned against him, staring off into the distance. "His dad's having a big birthday; his mom's throwing a major party. She demanded he come home."

Luke grunted an acknowledgement, pressing his thumb into the base of her neck.

"He didn't have time to stay and chat more today, or to stick around until Rory gets home." Her tone was bitter and Luke gleaned that trying to make her relax was a lost cause, at least for the time being. "He said he'd back later in the week."

"Ah." That was all he could think to say.

"You know, I do this every time," she groused. "It's always such a surprise to see him again, and I get excited, because hey – It's my old pal! He's back! Won't Rory be thrilled to see her dad!" She sighed. "And then reality smacks me in the face. It's still the same old Christopher crapfest. Nothing's changed at all. And then I feel stupid all over again."

"You're not stupid," Luke disputed.

Abruptly she pulled away from him, inching as far forward as possible, hanging onto the edge of the bench with her hands. "He wants to see _you_ , though."

Luke thought about that. "Well, of course he does. I mean, I understand he'd want to meet me, to make sure I'm going to be good for you and Rory."

She glanced back over her shoulder at him. "You're OK with that?"

"Yeah, no problem. Truthfully, I'm surprised he's waited this long to check up on me."

"OK then," she sighed. "When he comes back, I guess we'll set something up."

"Sure."

Lorelai went back to staring at nothing and Luke continued to watch her. "Are you going to tell Rory?" he finally asked, when she stayed uncharacteristically silent.

She nodded. "I'll tell her, but I'll have to watch _what_ I tell her. I mean, I can't let on that he didn't have time to see her today, and I won't be able to give her any sort of timeframe about when we might realistically expect him back…" She collapsed against him with a frustrated groan, burying her face into his chest. "You'd think I'd be used to all of this creative editing by now, wouldn't you?"

Wisely, he did nothing but hold her and stroke her hair, allowing her time to find composure again. Eventually he bent his head down closer to hers. "What do you say we get you some lunch?"

"Lunch…would be awesome," she murmured.

He stood up, helped her up along with him, then took her hand as they crossed the street towards the diner.

Right before they got there, Lorelai looked up at him, scowling. "You _really_ don't think that Chris is cute?"

"Let's not start that particular topic again, OK?" he recommended, and nudged her through the door.

* * *

That night at dinner, Rory couldn't stop talking about what she'd done at day camp. She repeatedly forked in more pasta salad, grabbed a huge bite of garlic bread, washed it down with iced tea, then continued to eagerly tell them details about the wiggly little creatures living in the pond water which had been observable to her through a microscope.

"We had to draw pictures of all of them," she explained. "I'll show you after dinner." She gulped down the last of her tea. The ice cubes clinked against the glass as she set it down. "Tomorrow we're going to try and look through some books and identify what they are."

"Sounds cool, sweetie," Lorelai said distractedly, picking at her own dish of pasta salad.

Rory wiped her mouth with her napkin and seemed to realize that she'd been hogging the conversation. "So what did you guys do today?"

Lorelai didn't reply right away so Luke spoke. "Flipped. Fried. Yelled at Taylor."

She grinned back at him. "Same old, same old, huh?"

"Pretty much," he agreed.

All at once Lorelai sat up straighter and plastered a bright smile onto her mouth, as if she was preparing to play out a part on stage. "You know, I _did_ hear there was a stranger in town today!"

"A stranger?"

"That's what I heard!"

Rory looked puzzled. "Aren't there usually strangers in town? Like, you know, at the Inn?"

Lorelai opened her eyes wide and tried to look enthused, but her act wasn't quite believable. "Oh, but this stranger was special. I hear…" She leaned over across the table, towards Rory, ready to share a secret. "I hear that _this_ stranger looked like your dad!"

"Dad?!" Rory's face began to beam. "Dad's here?"

"Not right now," Lorelai said quickly, still keeping the big theatrical smile in place. "He came through really fast, just to let me know he's around and will be back to see you sometime later on."

Rory cocked her head, no longer beaming. "When?"

"He wasn't sure." Lorelai took up some of the corkscrew pasta on her fork, acting casually unconcerned. "He had to do something with his parents, first. When that's done, he'll come see us."

Rory looked out the window on the back door, thinking hard. "So he's in Hartford?"

Lorelai nodded, mechanically chewing her pasta. "Yep."

Rory was still pensive. "You saw him today?"

"Briefly, yeah."

She finally swung her eyes back to her mother. "Did he come to the Inn?"

"No." Lorelai kept busy spearing more pasta with her fork, her voice relentlessly cheerful. "Believe it or not, he was riding through town and spotted me getting out of the car."

"So…" Rory was playing with the handle of her spoon. "If he hadn't seen you, he would have just kept on going?"

"Oh, Rory, no! Of course not!" Lorelai stopped pretending to eat and looked with concern at her daughter. "It was just…serendipity that we ran into each other like that. I'm sure he would have kept looking otherwise."

"What's going on with his parents?" Rory wanted to know.

"His dad's turning 60, so there's a big party."

Rory frowned and kept thinking. "Isn't a party usually for just one day? Or one night?"

Lorelai glanced at Luke and he could see the panic starting to show on her face. "I don't…Probably? I mean, sure, usually that's –"

"But yet he can't predict when he'll come back to Stars Hollow to see us?"

Lorelai bit her lip and gripped the edge of the table. "Rory," she began, desperately. "He just – he wasn't sure of his mom's plans yet. I'm sure –"

"Mom. It's – it's OK." Rory shook her head, then looked over at Luke for a moment. "It's like you always say, we'll see him when we see him." She shrugged. "It is what it is."

For a split second Lorelai looked like she wished she could cry, but quickly switched over to a smile instead. "Right," she agreed, the words probably coming out weaker than she meant them to. "That is what I say, isn't it?" she murmured to herself.

Rory abruptly left her seat and moved to Lorelai's side, wrapping her arms around her mother in a loving hug. "I'm glad I got the smart mom," she said softly. She raised her head, focusing her big blue eyes on Luke. "And I'm glad you were smart enough to wait for Luke."

"Yeah, me too, baby." Lorelai patted Rory's back.

"I'm going to go watch TV. OK?" Rory asked, pulling away.

"Sure." Lorelai smiled, but her voice still lacked conviction.

"I'll call you when it's time to dry dishes," Luke called after her.

When the TV came on in the other room, Lorelai looked at Luke, exhausted and befuddled. "What was that last bit about?"

He reached for her hand. "She and Jess talked some about their respective fathers over the weekend."

"And what? I…won?"

"You won," he concurred.

"Gah!" She groaned and pushed a hand through her hair. "She's getting too old for me to sugarcoat any of this, isn't she?"

"Lorelai, you deserve a medal for never bad-mouthing him to her. If she's old enough, smart enough to realize the truth of it now…Well, there's nothing you can do about that." He squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"I just…" She shut her eyes tightly and sighed. "I just don't want her hurt," she said, her voice breaking.

"I know, I know." He caressed her face, her hair. "There's nothing worse than watching someone you love get hurt."

"Which is why you didn't want to tell me about your mom's birthday at first. I get it. I do. I just wish there was a way to keep shielding her from it all."

"I understand." He stood up and pulled her up too, hugging her snugly against him. "But we're here for her. We'll be her shield. It will be OK. We'll make it OK."

"Promise?" Finally she relaxed, letting herself melt into him.

"I promise." He kissed the top of her head.

"I'll hold you to that." Lorelai started to pull away, to begin clearing the table, but he drew her back to him.

"And just so you know, I'm glad I got the smart one, too," he whispered, and bent his head to kiss her. Dishes could wait.

* * *

The rest of the week felt unsettled. Luke spun around every time the door opened and jumped each time the phone rang. But then the weekend came and went and nothing unexpected happened, so eventually the anxious feeling dissipated and life got back to normal.

Rory steadfastly ignored the knowledge that her father was close by. She never asked about him, or went to the window to look down the street. Luke could see Lorelai's heart breaking for her daughter, and his ached for both of them. Consequently he brought home more treats from the diner than he ever had and they possibly set a record for the most movies watched in one weekend, all in an attempt to disregard the anxiety present in the household.

Monday was a typical Monday. Lots of blurry-eyed people at breakfast, fortifying themselves with eggs and bacon and coffee to start the workweek. There was a good crowd at lunch and enough stragglers in the afternoon to keep Luke busy. When the bells over the door jingled yet again around 3 o'clock, Luke's only thought was to wipe off a place at the counter and slap down a menu there, ready for the newcomer. He looked up briefly and motioned to the seat, indicating it was available.

But the guy who ambled up to the counter didn't sit down. "Um…are you Luke?"

"Yeah…?" Luke examined the guy a little closer, and it didn't take longer than a second for him to realize who he was.

The newcomer confirmed it by putting his hand out over the counter, offering a shake. "I'm Christopher Hayden."

"Luke Danes." Trapped, Luke accepted the handshake.

Christopher smiled, his eyes beginning to shine almost like Lorelai's, only they were a greenish-brown, not her sparkling sapphire. He jovially motioned towards the windows. "The man with his name on the coffee cup outside! Hard to miss."

Luke couldn't tell if that comment was meant to be a compliment or not. "Would you like some coffee? Have a seat."

Still smiling, Christopher rocked back on his heels, his hands on his hips. "Nah, I don't think so. This is awkward enough without adding a hot liquid into the mix."

Unbelievably, Luke realized he was smiling back, as if Christopher's damn smile was contagious or something. Swiftly he turned it into more of a smirk. "Suit yourself. First cup's on the house."

"Well, as tempting as that is…" He smoothed a hand through his hair, the same gesture from the motorcycle day.

Luke was suddenly aware that Christopher _did_ have great hair, and now that he was up close, he was taller than what Luke had first thought. And his eyes did have that sparkle thing going for them. Plus, Luke realized that the majority of the women currently in the diner were doing anything they could to catch Christopher's attention, either by twirling their hair or laughing coquettishly with their companions. If Miss Patty had been present she probably would have already found some reason to put her hand on his arm – or some other part of his anatomy. It was possible that Luke was going to have to re-think his stance on Christopher's level of cuteness.

"Lorelai suggested that I come over here, see if we could find someplace to have a chat." Christopher smiled easily again.

"You've seen Lorelai?" Luke couldn't hide his surprise.

"Yeah, I went to the Inn. Met the famous Mia."

"Mia…certainly deserves to be famous, I guess. Well…good. Good." Luke wasn't sure what else to say. "Have you seen Rory yet?"

"Not yet, it sounds like she's pretty attached to that summer camp thing she goes to. I didn't want to interrupt her day. Anyway, Lor thought I should just come over here to the diner and introduce myself. Get the ball rolling."

 _Lor._ The butchered name fragment grated on his ears, more than he ever thought it could. "Do you want to discuss anything now? My apartment's just upstairs," he offered, as civilly as he could force himself to be.

"Well…I was hoping we could talk somewhere that was more…neutral grounds for us both."

Luke shrugged. "Fine by me. Where did you have in mind? Lorelai's house? Or do you want to go back to the Inn?"

Christopher grimaced, but still somehow managed to smile attractively. "Lorelai mentioned that it was nice down by the lake. How about meeting there for our powwow? City-owned property is probably as much of a neutral zone as it gets."

"Sure. Not a problem," Luke said blandly, hiding his smile at Lorelai's deviousness. The Fourth of July, their engagement, several other stolen moments over the past year – little did Chris know how important the lake had become to the two of them. "When's a good time for you?"

"Now's fine. Or anytime, really."

Luke checked his watch. "I've got a second worker starting in 20 minutes. What if we meet at the lake in about 30?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then. Nice meeting you, Luke." All of the ladies' eyes followed Christopher as he walked across the diner and out the door.

During the following 20 minutes, Luke thought about a lot of things. He considered calling Lorelai but talked himself out of it. He made a mental list of all of the things he definitely wanted to say to Christopher. He thought about all of the things he should most likely avoid mentioning. He remembered a litany of courteous actions his mother had fought to instill in him.

In the end it didn't matter, because when he walked up to the picnic area at the lake and saw Christopher lounging at one of the tables there, it all went flying out of his head.

"Hey, you made it!" Christopher called out, catching sight of him. "And right on time!"

"Doesn't take long to get anywhere in Stars Hollow," Luke replied, instead of the half-dozen truly smartass remarks he wanted to make. He took a seat on the opposite side of the table. "Guess you found the place all right."

"Well, like you say." There was that damn ingratiating smile again. "Doesn't take long to find any place in this town. And the lady at the dance studio was really helpful about giving me directions."

"Patty?" Luke smirked knowingly. "I bet she was. She's known for her helpful ways."

Chris kept smiling. He turned slightly, looking out over the lake. "Nice view here." Then neither of them spoke, and the silence quickly became uncomfortable.

As much as Luke had no desire to start the conversation, he also knew he had limited time to devote to this little _tête-à-tête_. They needed him back at the diner before people started coming in for dinner. "So, Christopher…Chris? Which do you prefer? I've heard Lorelai call you both."

"Either's fine," he said easily.

"OK, um, Chris then." Luke shifted, trying to get more comfortable, both on the hard wooden bench, and in the presence of the person across from him. "I certainly understand why you want to meet me, to ask me some questions. You want to make sure I want what's best for the girls, that I'm going to take care of them. I'll do anything I can to assure you that they're my number one priority. Feel free to ask me whatever you want, because I've got nothing to hide when it comes to them."

Chris turned back to face him, nodding slightly. "How long have you known Lorelai? Have you been buddies since she first moved here?"

"No. Um, I guess I knew _of_ her. It's a small town, as we've already discussed, so it's normal for everybody who lives here to at least know your name. But as far as actually knowing her as a person, having a face to put with the name, I guess that started about two years ago, when she began coming into the diner."

"Really? Hard to imagine that a woman as pretty as Lorelai wouldn't have caught your eye before that."

Luke gave him a sharp look. His voice was still pleasant, but the words seemed somehow barbed. Luke decided to give him the benefit of a doubt. "Well, we were probably both busy with different things. I doubt that we were exactly running around in the same circles in those days."

"But once she did walk into that diner of yours…" Chris suggested leadingly.

"I thought she was annoying as hell," Luke countered.

Chris chuckled. "Yeah, she can be. Not denying that. But I guess you eventually overlooked the annoying part."

He shrugged. "Actually, it wasn't until Rory and I clicked that I got to know Lorelai better."

"Rory?!" Chris looked disbelieving.

"Yeah, Rory. She asked me for some help…" Suddenly, Luke remembered that the reason he first spent time with her at all was because the man on the other side of the picnic table hadn't shown up. He tried to smooth over what he was going to say. "Anyway, she needed some help with some…projects, I guess you could say, and Lorelai gave me permission to work with her. She's just an amazing kid to be around. Funny, and kind, and smart. And eventually Lorelai started tagging along with us, and…well, here we are."

"Makes a nice story," Chris commented, with just a hint of a sneer.

Luke tensed up, sensing that their discussion was about to change direction. "Yeah, it does."

Chris was nodding. "And you're the diner guy," he remarked, not trying to hide his condescension.

"I am," Luke acknowledged.

"Money in that, is there? Running a diner?"

Luke breathed in slowly, aiming for a 10-count, but only making it to seven. "I _own_ the diner. Own the whole building, actually."

"And that's enough? Enough to provide for a woman like Lorelai? Rory? More kids? A dog? Because I'm pretty sure living in a town like this one, there's some sort of ordinance that states you _have_ to have a dog."

"Yeah, we're good to go, including adding a white picket fence, if it comes to that. Hell, maybe we'll toss caution to the wind, get two dogs." It felt good, finally letting the sarcasm out.

"Lorelai's parents cut her off, you know. There's no money coming from Hartford."

"Never thought there was."

"I'd just hate to see her have to – you know, settle. Make do."

"So…Christopher." Luke drug out every syllable out of his opponent's name. "What is it _you_ do, exactly?"

His laugh was silky, as if there was no way Luke could rattle him. "Guess you could say I'm prospecting right now."

Confused, Luke shook his head. "For gold?"

"No, for clients. A buddy of mine is starting up a business, and I go around to people I know and try to drum up some interest for him."

"There's money in that?" Luke asked skeptically.

"A little. Enough. Plus it gets my name out in front of some important, influential people. Reminds them that I'm around. I suspect that pretty soon one of them will either find me a position, or agree to fund a startup of my own."

"That sounds…risky."

"It's the way it's done." He looked at Luke with a little bit of pity. "Lorelai understands that. That's the world she knows."

The minutes were ticking by, and Luke had reached his limit. "I think it's time we cut through the crap here."

Chris looked amused, in a superior way. "Be my guest."

"I figured we were doing this because you're worried about Rory. And I get that. She's your daughter, I'm going to be living with her, helping to raise her…It's normal you'd be concerned about that. I have no problem talking to you about Rory. And I'll do whatever I can to make sure you have a relationship with her, that you can see her as much as you want to, because, whether I like it or not, you _are_ her father. But so help me God, if this about Lorelai…" Luke fixed him with his most smoldering look. "Then you and I are going to have problems."

"Christ, I'm not worried about _Rory_!" Chris burst out. "Lorelai will make sure Rory's fine – she always has! And she would never let you get anywhere near Rory if she thought there was something off about you. So yeah, most likely you're a decent guy. But Rory's not my focus, because _she's_ not the one throwing her life away!"

Luke shook his head, stunned to hear him admit it. "So this is about Lorelai."

"Of course it's about Lorelai! Lorelai's the one who needs looking after! She's the one constantly leaping into decisions without thinking. She's the one who runs off to some weird little town without even considering what that means for her future. She's the one who impulsively buys a house – a house! Something big and permanent! – Without even discussing it first! Now she's stuck here, in this stifling town, still working at that damn hotel, and thinking there's nothing better than eating in a diner every day for the rest of her life. Meanwhile, all she has to do is to reach out to Richard, or to me, and we'd make sure she was right back living the life she was meant to have!" He finally paused to take a breath. "So yeah, buddy, my concern centers right on Lorelai."

Although dumfounded at this outpouring, Luke wasn't speechless. "Man, you _really_ don't know her at all, do you?"

"And you do? After just a year you think _you're_ the expert on Lorelai Gilmore? You gotta remember, I've known her practically since we were born!"

"But you're basing everything on the girl you knew at 16. She's not that Lorelai anymore. You don't know her now, as an adult, as a grown woman."

"Of course I do. This thing we have between us, what we've always had– it guarantees I'll always know her better than anyone else."

"Geez, do you hear how delusional you sound? You _don't_ know her now! Lorelai loves Stars Hollow, she's thrilled to finally have her own home, and she regards the Independence Inn as her second home – that's how much it means to her. Do you even know she wants to go back to school, get a degree, because she's got this dream to open up her own place someday? No you don't – you've stayed away, stuck in this…this _fantasyland_ you still believe in. But it's not true. You're glued to the past, while meanwhile Lorelai's happy, completely happy, in the life she's made here."

"Happy with _you_ ," Chris taunted, belligerently.

"Yes, with me." Luke stood up, realizing no argument would ever sway him and any further talk was just a waste of time. "Look, Chris, she's marrying me. Her mind's made up. I'll do my best to be fair with Rory, but I'm warning you, stay away from my wife." He managed to keep his tone somewhat civil, but he was sure his face showed the resolve behind his words.

"She's not your wife yet, pal."

"She will be, soon enough." Luke swung his leg over the bench, ready to get the hell away from the crazy person.

"If you think –" Christopher began heatedly, also standing up.

"Hello, Sailors!"

The unexpected greeting made them both turn. The girls were heading their way from the parking lot. Lorelai carried a stuffed shopping bag in either hand, and Rory cradled an insulated thermos to her chest. They reached them before either of the men could completely shift out of their anger and greet them as if nothing was wrong.

"Dad!" Rory looked translucent with delight. She handed off the thermos to Luke and hopped around the table, offering Christopher a shy hug.

"Hey, kiddo," he said faintly, putting a hand on the back of her head.

"We thought we'd bring some sustenance," Lorelai explained, rustling the bags in her hands. She was smiling, but it was possible that only Luke noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Luke sat the thermos on the table and reached to take the bags from Lorelai. "What's all this?"

"Sookie cleaned out the fridge at the Inn. This is everything she deemed not worthy of space, even though it's basically a feast the likes of which you've never seen."

Meanwhile, Christopher had stepped back, the better to see Rory. "Wait. This…this is Rory?"

"Dad!" she giggled.

"No, I'm…I'm serious here." Chris laid his hand on the top of her head, judged her height against himself. "What happened? Where's my little girl?"

"Not so little anymore, Chris," Lorelai said somewhat tautly. "Kids have a way of growing up when you don't see them for, oh, a year or two."

"It hasn't been that long," he said feebly. He tentatively touched Rory's head again. "Has it?"

"Check your calendar," Lorelai muttered, pulling Styrofoam containers out of the bags.

Luke felt the smallest pang of sympathy for Christopher, remembering his own disbelief over how Jess could have grown so much.

"She's beautiful," he said, still staring at her. "Lor, she's going to look just like you."

Rory made a little hum of approval at that comment.

"Oh, don't be fooled by appearances. She's her own person," Lorelai insisted. "But even so, I'm happy to keep her around."

"I can't believe she's this big," he said, sounding sad and proud at the same time.

"OK, you're all set," Lorelai said briskly. "Here's food, here's drink, and Rory's going to be your tour guide after you eat."

"What?" Christopher's head whipped around. "Why? Where are you going?"

"Luke's coming with me to see what's wrong with my car." She took hold of Luke's arm and started to forcefully pull him away. "See you later. Have fun, sweetie."

"Wait! Lor!"

"Bye, Mom! Thank Sookie for all the food!" Rory called out.

"What's going on?" Luke asked under his breath, as Lorelai hustled him to the parking lot.

"Rory's spending time with her dad," she said curtly.

"Lorelai, wait. Wait!" Luke tried to slow her down. "Is that a good idea? What if he –"

"Luke, Rory's a big girl. She knows her way home. She knows Stars Hollow as well as we do, if not better. She knows how to call 911, if it comes to that."

"But Lorelai, you can't just –"

"I can." Lorelai reached the car and leaned against it, suddenly drained. "All of my life, my mother made excuses for my dad. 'Lorelai, don't interrupt your father, he's reading the paper.' 'Lorelai, you can't go into your father's study, he's on an important call.' 'Lorelai, don't be ridiculous, your father can't possibly watch your recital, he's in Belgium that week.'" She took a deep breath. "And with Chris, I did the same thing. I made up all of these reasons and fed them to Rory about why he wasn't around, why he wasn't involved. And why that was OK." She rubbed her forehead, blinking tears out of her eyes. "And I admit, it's partially my fault. It was easier to do it all on my own, to keep making the excuses. Because it was _so_ hard, so damn hard, taking care of her, taking care…of me. That was all I could do. I couldn't…I didn't…I wasn't strong enough to show him, to teach him everything he needed to know in order to take care of Rory too." She looked over at Luke, her eyes swimming. "There just wasn't enough of me left over to do that."

He reached for her immediately, "Oh, hey…"

She shook her head, stepping a little further away. "It wasn't until we had you that I realized it wasn't hard after all. With you, there were no excuses. None were needed. _You_ were busy. _You_ had a million things you _had_ to do, every day. All of these people were depending on you, every day. But yet you always made time for Rory. For me. You didn't complain. You didn't…try to foist us off. You just did…whatever needed to be done."

"Because I _love_ you," he said, desperate to ease her anguish. "Because I love _both_ of you."

"I know!" She wiped her eyes then, and half-laughed, half-sobbed. "I know you do! And when I saw how simply you fit us into your life, that's when I realized I'd given Chris too easy of an out. He's her dad; he needs to learn how to be her dad."

Luke looked back over his shoulder, watching Rory opening boxes at the picnic table, passing some of them over to Christopher. "You think they'll be OK?"

"Rory will be OK," Lorelai said vehemently. "The rest is up to Chris. All I know is that I'm done being the monkey in the middle, the excuse maker."

Seeing how strongly she believed what she was saying, Luke merely nodded.

"Let's get out of here." Lorelai opened the car door and got in.

Once Luke was in the car, he waited for her to start it up, then he put his hand on the dash. "OK, let's go on to the next problem. What's wrong with the car?"

"There's nothing wrong with the car." Lorelai's ponytail swung around as she looked behind her to back the car out of the parking spot.

"But you said –"

"Little white lie to get us out from Christopher's clutches, babe."

"Oh." It was starting to all make sense. He looked around as they left the lake and turned onto the main street. "Where are we going now?"

"I figured you needed to get back to work."

Luke checked his watch. "Yeah, I do."

"And I do, too. I'm going back to the Inn, and I'm going to sit there, _not_ looking at the telephone for the next several hours."

By then they were in front of the diner, and Lorelai stopped the car to let him out.

"Are you going to be OK?" he asked.

"I will be. Tough-love, baby! It's the start of a new era in co-parenting."

"I won't be at the house until late," he reminded her. "I'm closing tonight. But that means we can sleep in a bit in the morning."

"That sounds good." She leaned across the seat to receive his kiss goodbye.

"You want me to call later?" he asked, pausing before shutting the door.

She shook her head. "I'll call you if anything goes wrong."

He nodded. "Or if you just need…reassurance that you did the right thing."

"Thanks, hon," she said, grinning for the first time that afternoon. "Love you."

"Love you too." He watched for a little bit as she drove off, before entering the diner and getting back to work.

* * *

"They're not here yet?" Luke asked when he entered the house about 8:30 that night. He was later than he thought he'd be, thanks to an extra-greasy range hood.

"No, but it's OK. Rory called from Al's about two hours ago, to let me know they were eating dinner there, and then stopping for ice cream. Nothing to worry about. Yet," Lorelai added on, smiling grimly.

"Wow, Al's, huh? Chris will know all of the town's secrets." Luke sat next to her on the couch, immediately enfolding her in a hug he suspected she needed. If she didn't, he did. And some kisses, too, now that he thought about it.

"Hi," she smiled, breathing hard after his needy greeting.

"Hi," he replied, settling next to her, keeping one arm around her.

"I realized later that I was so focused on my agenda this afternoon, I never asked how things went between you and Chris."

"Oh, peachy," Luke muttered.

"That good, was it?" Lorelai chuckled. "I could kinda tell when we walked up. Both of you looked like you'd been slapped across the face with a glove and were just about ready to step off the 20 paces before turning and firing."

Luke laid his head back against the couch, trying to determine what to tell her. "Turns out today really wasn't about Rory," he finally divulged.

Beside him, Lorelai came to attention. "No? What was it, then?"

"You," Luke said with a grimace.

"What about me?"

"That you're throwing your life away."

"What!?"

"Hick town, shiftless diner guy."

"Oh my god. You're kidding me."

"You know I don't kid."

Lorelai let out of growl of frustration. "That was always one of the most irritating things about Christopher. I'd think we were on the same page, and then suddenly he'd be parroting something out of my father's handbook."

"He did mention your dad."

"Really? Why?"

"He said that all you had to do was let your dad know you wanted your old life back and you'd be returned to the lap of luxury."

Lorelai went still. "You believe that? That I'd even consider that?"

"Of course I don't. I tried to tell him, to explain what all you've got here. But he doesn't want to hear it, Lorelai. He's got this teenage scenario stuck in his head, all about how the two of you are destined to be together or something."

"Oh my god!" She looked infuriated. "Now he's talking like my mother!"

"Anyway, that's pretty much when I got mad and told him we had nothing else to discuss."

"Luke, I'm so sorry." She put a tentative hand on his arm. "You know, don't you, that I –"

"I know," he assured her, moving forward to kiss her again. "He just doesn't want to believe it."

She groaned. "I'm so sorry you had to sit and listen to that. But now I'm even happier I sicced Rory on him!"

Luke settled against the couch and encouraged Lorelai to follow his lead. She cuddled against him, tucking her head under his chin. He rubbed his chin against her hair and stroked her arm, able to think more compassionately about Christopher, now that his girl was safely in his grasp.

"You know, in some ways, I can almost understand where he's coming from."

"Not seriously."

He shrugged. "It wasn't that long ago that I believed Rachel and I were still going to make it work someday. It wasn't until I met you that I saw how ridiculous that was."

"So Chris just needs to meet a nice girl?"

"Couldn't hurt."

"Hmm, you know, I made you and Rachel go off together to end things. Maybe if Chris and I –"

"Not gonna happen."

"But if –"

"Forget it. No way am I ever letting him be alone with you."

"Whoa, possessive much?"

"Yep," Luke agreed, and was just about to show her exactly _how_ possessive when the front door opened.

"Mom!" Rory yelled from the entryway, which gave them time to pull apart and straighten themselves up. "We're home!"

"Guess you found the breadcrumbs leading you back here!" Lorelai jumped up and turned to face her daughter. Then she saw Christopher following Rory into the living room and nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. "Oh, and look…you've got a tagalong. And I don't mean the Girl Scout cookies. Although…cookies _would_ be really good right about now."

"Hey, Lor. Hope you don't mind," Chris said, sounding sincerely humble, nodding his head at them.

"No, of course not. Come on in. Did you guys have fun?" Lorelai sat back down on the couch beside Luke.

"We did!" Chris put a fatherly arm around Rory's shoulders, looking a little surprised that he was doing such a thing. "This little lady is quite the tour guide. I feel confident that I could now ace any quiz about Stars Hollow. How did you learn so much?" he teasingly asked Rory.

She shrugged and sat down on a chair to the side of the couch. "I hang around the library a lot, and I've gone to every historical reenactment the town's had for the last 10 years. And, you know, school teaches you some facts." A mischievous look suddenly spread over her face. "And well…I made some of it up."

Chris hooted with laughter, Lorelai chuckled, and even Luke grinned.

"She's so great!" Christopher crowed. "She's going to be giving you a run for your money in a couple of years, Lor. Your Queen of the Quips title is going to be up for grabs."

"No way. I'll gag her if I have to. That title's mine for keeps."

"Rory's amazing," Christopher said dotingly. He looked over at Luke, meeting his gaze seriously. "She's funny. And smart. And…kind, too."

Luke started, hearing his own descriptive words about Rory being repeated back to him. "I agree," he said, wondering if things had changed significantly in such a few short hours.

Rory and Chris exchanged a look, and then Rory scooted to the edge of her seat. "So Mom…we kind of have a favor to ask."

"Oh?" Lorelai uneasily looked between the two of them.

"We were wondering if Dad could spend the night here?"

"Oh, well, I'm not sure if –"

"I know it's an imposition," Chris broke in. "And really last minute. But it's just been so long since I spent a night under the same roof with my daughter. We had so much fun today…" He bent down and put a hand on Rory's shoulder. "I guess I'm just not ready for it to end yet."

"No one's expecting you somewhere tonight?" Lorelai asked, sounding incredulous.

"No, not really."

"There's not –" Lorelai glanced over at Luke, wide-eyed, asking him for some back-up, he guessed. "I don't have a guest room to offer you."

"Hey, I'm cool with the couch. Remember when we thought we'd sleep on park benches in Paris? This is a real step-up from that!"

"Though possibly not much more comfortable," Lorelai mumbled. She looked to Luke once more, and he tilted his head and gave a slight shrug, telling her it was her decision. "Well, uh, sure. Sure. We can…probably find some extra blankets."

Rory and Chris high-fived each other. "Thanks, Lor! I really appreciate it. Hope I don't inconvenience you too much."

"No, no of course not," Lorelai replied graciously, the same way she'd welcome unexpected guests at the Inn. She stood back up. "Let me go see what supplies I can scrounge up for you." She turned to Luke, slightly flustered. "Help me?" she asked pointedly.

"Sure." He got up and followed her to the hall closet. She opened the door, stepped inside, pulled him in too and shut the door behind them – at least as much as she could.

"Hey!" he protested, pushing coat hangers out of his face.

"Shh!" she warned him, trying to make more room for both of them. "What do you think?" she whispered.

"I think it's a good thing neither of us are claustrophobic."

"No time for the funny. Spill it, mister. What do you think is going on here?"

"He's finally realizing what he's been missing with Rory?"

"I hope that's it," Lorelai said soberly. "Do you think that's all it is?"

"As opposed to what?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Me?"

"I'm going to assume the best, which is he wants more time with Rory."

"OK, me too." Lorelai nodded solemnly. "Good. Then that's what we'll assume, and hope it doesn't make asses out of either of us." She put her arm up, located the cord to the light bulb and gave a tug, illuminating the closet. She opened the closet door fully and changed positions so she could try to pull down a small stack of extra blankets stored on the top shelf. "Are you going to stay too?" she asked Luke, reaching upwards, on her tiptoes.

Luke moved in front of her, easily reaching the blankets. "Damn right I'm staying," he said grimly, clutching the blankets in his arms.

She grinned. "Glad we're assuming the best here."

The next hour was spent changing the sofa into a bed, showing Chris the downstairs of the house, and otherwise making him comfortable. Lorelai even managed to find an extra toothbrush for him, even though it was child-sized. And had Peter Pan on it.

Rory got ready for bed, and then everyone very politely bid everyone else goodnight. Lorelai and Luke silently went up the stairs.

They undressed quietly, put on their nightclothes, washed their faces and brushed their teeth. They climbed into bed and turned out the lights, where they each laid on their backs, silently staring up at the dark ceiling.

"This is weird," Lorelai whispered. She reached over and took hold of his hand.

"Very weird," Luke muttered. He hooked his pinkie around hers, and eventually they both fell asleep, ignoring the elephant sleeping downstairs on the couch.

* * *

Luke woke up, instantly knowing something was off. He turned to look at the alarm clock, panicking for a few seconds when he saw the time, before he remembered he didn't have to open the diner that morning. Today he had a couple of spare hours.

He looked over at Lorelai, his own personal Sleeping Beauty, soft and warm and completely accessible to him. Even though it killed him to do so, he normally didn't touch her as he left her bed in the lonely pre-dawn hours. But occasionally on mornings such as these, when he had some extra time, he could persuade her to wake up a little bit earlier.

He rolled over, snuggling up against her. He moved her hair away from her neck, and nuzzled her skin. Slowly, he tucked his arm around her, gently exploring as he went. "Morning," he whispered, kissing her shoulder.

Lorelai sighed, still half-asleep. Luke had learned that early morning was the only time of day when she was not talkative. She communicated only in moans, breathy sighs, and needy whimpers. All of which served to very effectively ramp up his desire for her.

He rose up and then lowered himself down, partly on top of her, the better to thoroughly wake her with kisses and roving hands.

She moaned, arching her back to meet his kiss. He smiled, even in the midst of the kiss, pleased at how well this particular morning was going.

But then she whispered, breaking the spell. "You remember who's downstairs, right?"

"Shit." He rolled back to his side of the bed immediately. Revolted, he stared up at the ceiling again. "Way to ruin the mood."

"You'd rather we be interrupted by a knock on the door? Somebody asking for extra towels?"

"No," he grumbled.

Lorelai sighed again, but not in the sexy way that drove him nuts. "Sorry, but this is all just so…awkward."

He grunted in agreement.

A few moments later, Lorelai reached for his hand. "He'll be gone soon," she reminded him. "We'll be all back to normal."

"I know," he said, still grumbling.

She played with his hand, tracing his fingers. Suddenly she rolled over, then continued to climb up on top of him.

His hands instantly went to her hips, steadying her. "Lorelai, wha –"

"But as I recall, you're a quiet guy," she whispered, dropping her head to kiss him. "You can be quiet, right?"

"As a mouse," he promised fervently, wrapping his arms around her.

But only a moment later her head whipped up. "Do you smell coffee?"

"No," he said emphatically, not bothering to take a sniff of the air. He certainly didn't want her to get distracted.

"I do. I smell coffee," she insisted.

Sighing, he finally took a deep breath. "I do too," he admitted. "And toast," he added morosely.

Luke jumped into his jeans and a tee, Lorelai tied a robe around her babydoll pajamas, and in a few minutes they were downstairs being greeted by an exuberant Christopher. "This girl can _cook_!" he declared, pointing at Rory. "She really is amazing. There's nothing she can't do!"

"Dad, it's no big deal," Rory said, looking embarrassed. "It's only Pop Tarts and toast. And you helped me with the coffee."

"No way could I get up in the morning and make breakfast when I was your age," Christopher demurred.

"Chris, come on, she's 11," Lorelai pointed out, amused. "Seriously, think back to when you were 11. You were in the 'gifted' class. Surely you could work a toaster."

He pointed over at the stove. "She made scrambled eggs!"

Lorelai pulled out a chair and dropped down onto it. "OK, you got me there. I still can't make scrambled eggs."

"Luke taught me," Rory said proudly. She turned to look at him and gave him a sweet smile.

He nodded approvingly back at her, his heart melting.

They sat around the table and ate, all of them trying to pretend that it wasn't strange and uncomfortable. Rory's scrambled eggs and toast received much praise, as the adults all struggled to find a safe topic of conversation.

"I need to get going," Christopher said, after they'd all pitched in to clear the table. "My mom needs her car back. But Lor, could I maybe have a minute with you first?"

She glanced at Luke, who gave her what he hoped was a 'do what you need to' look, because despite his vow from the night before to keep them apart, he wasn't stupid enough to put his threat into practice. "Sure," she then replied, and the two of them stepped out onto the back porch, while Rory and Luke continued to clean up.

Luke tried very hard to keep busy at the sink, determined to keep his eyes away from the window and his ears ignoring the muffled words being uttered just on the other side of the wall.

When they came back into the kitchen, Lorelai looked shell-shocked and Christopher looked grim, but determined to be cheerful.

"OK, kiddo, I'm off," he said, giving Rory a big hug. "Don't fall into the lake at camp today. Your mother did that at about your age and got herself saddled with a most unfortunate nickname."

"What?" Rory eagerly wanted to know.

"That's an embarrassing tale for another day," Lorelai said in a 'don't make me kill you' tone.

"Do you really have to go?" Rory meekly asked, looking down at the floor.

"Yeah, I do." Chris stroked her hair. "I've got stuff to get to. I need to find a better job, so I can come see you more often."

"Really?" Rory's face brightened up considerably.

"Really. I had too much fun not to come and see you whenever possible."

Rory giggled, elated.

Christopher looked at Luke, meeting his eyes soberly. "But for now, I need to go. Looks like I'm stuck with an out-of-date fantasyland in my living room that could use some dismantling."

Once the words sank in, Luke gave him a grateful nod. "Come back whenever you want, to see Rory."

"Thanks. That means a lot." He shook Luke's hand, hugged Rory, and kissed Lorelai on the cheek before he headed for the door. "Remember what I told you, Rory. Call me, anytime."

"Bye, Dad!" she shouted, walking over to the door to wave to him.

As soon as the noise from Christopher's mother's car died away, Luke checked the time. "We're late," he announced. "Who's driving the girls to camp today?"

"Katie's mom," Lorelai said, yawning.

"Well, let's all do what we need to get ready, and I'll take Rory over to Katie's house on my way to the diner," Luke suggested.

"What did he say to you out there?" Luke asked, as soon as he and Lorelai were upstairs.

She plopped down on the bed, still looking worn-out. "Basically, he just wanted to know if I was happy, if this was really what I wanted." She shrugged. "The house, the job, the town…" She looked up at Luke. "You."

He sucked in a sharp breath, involuntarily.

"I said it was. Especially the you part."

He let the breath out, relieved.

"Oh come on. You can't really have been worried about that."

"Not really." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But still…"

She got up and came over to him, putting her arms around his neck. "I told him that I'd be always grateful for the relationship we had, because that gave me Rory, but you're my forever guy. That he's her dad, and there's always a place for him in our lives because of that, but that's as far as it goes. He seemed to accept it. Seemed to be expecting to hear it, truthfully."

Luke swayed back and forth with her for a minute, his arms crossed over her back. He gently kissed her temple. "So you think we're home free now? Because honestly, that seemed…too easy."

"Well, I think we're home, at least. We're in love, we've got Rory. As far as Christopher goes…we're good for time being. It might take a couple more examples of us as a united front before it truly gets through his head."

Luke settled her more securely in his arms. "He did make Rory happy."

"He did. And that made me happy."

"Hmm." He tipped up her face, contemplating a kiss.

"We're _late!"_ Rory shrieked from the bottom of the steps. "Did you _forget_?"

They looked at each other and chuckled wryly. Their lips met in a quick kiss. "Tonight," Luke promised, drawing away and looking for a shirt to put on.

"Unless there's another unexpected guest sacking out on the couch," Lorelai muttered. She walked over to the closet. "Rachel's not in town, is she?"

"Thank God, no," Luke said, and raced downstairs to Rory.


	8. Wedding Prep and Birthday Surprises

Later the same week, Luke gave his quick taps against Lorelai's door and walked in, relieved to have the exasperating work day over.

Two steps inside though, and a whirling mass of 11-year-old girl blocked his path. "You can't come in, you can't come in!" she protested, trying to push him back outside.

"Rory! Stop it! What's going on?" He'd had an awfully long day, and his patience was in pretty short supply.

"Mom doesn't want you in here," she scolded, still trying to push him backwards.

"What?" Logically he knew this was one of their bits, and there was no reason to be concerned, but the words made him shudder, just the same.

"Rory, let Luke inside," Lorelai called out.

"No! It's bad luck if he sees your wedding dress and I'm not letting anything ruin your wedding!" She fell against him then in a sort of hug, and grinned up at him.

"I think it's only bad luck if he'd see me _in_ the wedding dress, but…Hold on!"

Luke gave Rory a squeeze and smiled back at her.

"OK, it's all safe. You can come in now!"

When they entered the living space, Lorelai had draped the afghan over the coffee table and some of the large plastic shopping bags over her sewing machine.

"Much better," Rory said approvingly.

"You started work on your wedding dress?" Luke asked the obvious question, looking at the sewing debris scattered everywhere in the room.

"Well, 'started' might be putting too optimistic of a slant on it," Lorelai hedged.

"Rough going?" he asked sympathetically.

"No, it was great!" she countered. "I was sewing like a maniac! Things were fitting together perfectly. But then I realized I had no thread in the bobbin. And then…well, let's just say that was the highlight of today's sewing session."

He looked around, shaking his head. "Listen, if you decide you'd rather buy something instead, I'll totally understand."

"No, I really want to do this. I _can_ do this. I have this vision of what it's going to look like, and I'm not going to be happy unless I at least try to make it come true."

"OK, but I don't want you stressing out over it. You've got enough other stuff to do."

Lorelai picked up her sewing basket and started shoving scissors, pincushions, measuring tapes and spools of thread back into it. "Give me a week and we'll see what progress I've made on it."

" _I'll_ see the progress you've made on it," Rory interjected, frowning. "Luke's not seeing anything until you walk down the aisle."

"Fine, fine," Lorelai grumbled. "Oh, and remember, nobody breathes a word about this to my mother. If she asks anything, we all say that Liz took me to this exclusive little boutique in New York, and I managed to snag a gown created just for me."

"That will work until she actually _meets_ Liz," Luke pointed out.

"Eh, by then it won't matter!" Lorelai said. She turned around, checking to make sure nothing potentially skin-piercing had been left on the couch cushions. "Who's ready to order pizza?"

"Me!" Rory waved both hands in the air.

"After the day I've had, me too," Luke admitted. "I'm not even going to make you have a salad to go along with it."

"Wow, talk about the opposite of that bad luck stuff." Lorelai gave him a quick kiss as she reached for the phone.

* * *

Each night after that, Luke entered a house that more and more resembled a fabric warehouse after some sort of cataclysmic explosion. Scraps of lace and tulle hung over every piece of furniture. Threads and sequins littered the rug. Lorelai had started hiding more and more piles of _something_ underneath sheets and blankets. The small hallway between the kitchen and the living room was completely blocked.

The only thing she did show him was the progress she was making on Rory's dress, and he had to admit, it was gorgeous.

"I had no idea you could sew like that," he told her.

That made her grin devilishly. "That's just one of the things you don't know about me. What till you find out what else I can do."

"That's why I'm marrying you." He took her in his arms, not caring about the dress getting smushed between them. His voice dropped down into a husky whisper."I want to learn about those things."

"Ugh." Rory walked in on them. "Is that all you two ever think about?"

* * *

Then one night Luke walked in to find a half dozen card tables set up in the living room, and just as many women huddled around them in some sort of assembly line.

"What's going on?" he wanted to know.

"Invitations!" Babette screeched, waving an envelope in the air.

"We need to get them out pronto!" Lorelai jumped up and ran over to him, giving him a quick kiss in greeting.

"What is all this?" he asked, looking at the piles of stationery on the different tables.

Lorelai sat back down and pointed out the different stations. "We've got Patty doing the folding…"

"Hiya, Handsome," she purred at Luke.

"…and Babette is in charge of putting the RSVP card into the little envelope…"

"A very important job, 'cause you gotta know who all's coming!" she nodded.

"Then Lane puts on the stamp," Lorelai continued.

"Hi, Luke," Lane said shyly.

"Hi," he smiled back, happy to see Rory's friend at their house for once.

"And Rory's writing out all of the envelopes, because she's got the best handwriting of anyone in town."

"It's a gift," Rory mumbled, concentrating on an address.

"Yes, a gift that I'm happy to exploit," Lorelai agreed. "Anyway, everyone's got a job, and our goal is to get these all out by tomorrow." She pulled another chair over next to her and patted the seat. "Come make yourself useful."

He sat down awkwardly, feeling too clumsy to do anything with the ivory cards and tiny envelopes. "What could I do?"

"Insert all of the extra stuff into each invitation." Lorelai moved some printed materials closer to him. "Here, there's a map to the town, and information about where to stay, and where we've registered for gifts…"

"That's a lot to keep straight," he commented, feeling overwhelmed.

"That's a wedding for you!" Babette said. "Ask Patty! Lord knows she's experienced enough of them!"

"You get used to it," Patty shrugged. "After the third…or maybe the fourth, it's really not hard at all."

Luke dutifully put all of the different pieces of paper into each envelope for several minutes, until he noticed an address on the front of one of them. "Hey…this is for my Uncle Louie."

"Uh-huh," Lorelai acknowledged, preoccupied with her own pile of cards.

"No, wait." He shook the envelope in front of her face. "This is my Uncle Louie! How the heck did you know about my Uncle Louie?"

"Well, I kept asking you to tell me who you wanted to invite, and you didn't, so I asked Liz."

Luke's mouth dropped open as he stared at the envelope. "Liz keeps in touch with Uncle Louie?"

"I guess. She gave me a list of all your relatives."

"Aw, geez." Luke rubbed his head. "You do _not_ want Louie at our wedding."

Patty and Babette looked at each other and snickered. "Louie's a hoot!" Patty declared.

"He'll love you, Lorelai," Babette chimed in. "Oh, hey – maybe he'll tell you the story about us when we was watching the baseball game at the high school."

"Oh, that's a good one!" Patty chuckled.

"But not kid-friendly," Babette added, motioning towards Rory and Lane.

" _Nothing_ about Louie is kid-friendly!" Luke ranted. "There's very little about Louie that's even _adult_ -friendly!"

"Luke, listen." Lorelai stopped her task and turned to him, putting a hand on his arm. "He lives in Florida, you haven't talked to him in years, but he's still your uncle. Chances are, he's not going to come. But this is one of the events in your life when you send the invitation anyway, just so he knows you remember him. It's the nice thing to do."

Luke was still looking distrustfully at the envelope. "You don't think he'll come?"

"You know him better than I do. Do you think he'll come?"

"No." Luke felt relief break over him. "Louie never did anything social if he could avoid it."

"Well then, we're just out the postage. No harm done, right?"

"I guess not." Reluctantly, he added the envelope to the outgoing pile.

Lorelai showed him another envelope. "It's just like me and my Aunt Hope. She lives in France and she hates me, but I'm still inviting her."

"She hates you?" Luke asked skeptically.

"Well, I guess, maybe. I don't know that for sure, but she certainly cut me off when…" Lorelai cast a quick glance Rory's way, then altered the sentence. "I just haven't heard from her in a long time. A really long time."

"Ooh-la-la. She lives in France?" Patty asked, dipping one shoulder seductively.

"Yeah. She's my mom's sister. I idolized her when I was a kid. She was so stylish, lived on her own, did exactly what she wanted to. I thought we –" Lorelai suddenly bit at her bottom lip, her eyes shiny with tears. Luke put a hand on her knee, under the table, giving her sympathy no one could see, and she shot him a quick smile. "I thought we had a special relationship between us, like we were kindred spirits. I thought she'd be the one person always in my corner." She smiled sadly again. "Turns out I was wrong, but I still miss her. That's why I'm sending her an invite, along with a little note. I did the same for Louie."

Luke groaned. "You wrote Louie a note?"

"Sure. Introducing myself into the family."

"Oh my god," Luke groaned.

"Sweetie, relax. They're not coming." Lorelai indicated the stack of envelopes. "Just like all of the business buddies my dad insisted I invite. None of them are going to schlep to Stars Hollow to a no-name church and waste a night watching us get hitched. Don't worry, when it's all said and done, only the people that matter are going to be there." Lorelai shrugged. "Sending out the invitations is just sort of a social obligation. Everyone understands that."

"It's true, sugar." Babette nodded wisely. "It makes people feel good to know you thought of them. But then they'll come up with some sort of creative reason why they can't make it. Their cat's sick, or they already booked a cruise –"

"Or they're house-sitting out of town," Patty suggested. She chuckled. "You know, I've used that one myself!"

"So see? It's all good!" Lorelai insisted. She gave him a reassuring look. "The sooner we get these in the mail, the sooner the regrets start flooding in."

Rory stopped her careful copying. "Then why am I doing all of this?" she wanted to know, scowling.

"You are but a cog in the carefully crafted social machinery," Lorelai cheerfully told her. "And besides, I promised to pay you with an unlimited trip to the bookstore."

"Oh, right!" Rory nodded and bent again to her work.

"Uncle Louie," Luke muttered, and picked up another envelope to stuff.

* * *

"I should get going," Luke said, standing up from the couch.

"OK, hon," Lorelai said, concentrating on a piece of hand-sewing.

"Bye," Rory muttered from the easy chair where she was curled up, as usual reading a book.

Luke couldn't help but be surprised. Usually when he announced he was leaving for the night it was met with protestations from both of them. He was surprised – and truthfully, a little hurt – that neither of them seemed to care tonight.

He shook it off and bent to kiss Lorelai goodbye. "See you for breakfast?"

"Um, sure." She gave him a quick smooch, more concerned about placing a seed pearl in the right spot.

"Rory, do you want me to save you a cherry Danish?"

"Yeah, I guess." She didn't even look over at him.

"Sleep tight," he said, heading for the door.

"See ya!" Lorelai called, almost as an after-thought, just as the door closed behind him.

Luke pondered their casual attitude on his walk back to the diner. He _had_ been staying over a lot lately. Maybe they were tired of having him always underfoot. And even though a lot of the wedding preparations had been accomplished in the last week, there was still more to do. Lorelai was just preoccupied, he theorized. And Rory was engrossed in yet another book. That's all it was.

He opened the door to the darkened diner and went upstairs to his apartment. He turned on the lights and instantly sneezed. The air seemed really dusty, for some reason.

He sorted through the pile of mail on his desk, then decided to enter some recent purchases into the ledger. Then he remembered he'd taken the ledger to Lorelai's last week.

Well, no matter. He'd get ready for bed, then watch some TV until he felt sleepy. He had an early bread delivery in the morning.

Except he had nothing to put on for bed. Every pair of sweatpants he owned and every t-shirt was in Lorelai's dirty clothes hamper, or hanging on the chair in her bedroom.

In fact, he couldn't even watch TV. He forgot he'd moved his little set over to her house a few weeks ago, so they could watch the late night talk shows upstairs.

Still, that was no problem. He'd just sleep in his boxers and read the latest Sports Illustrated.

Except…he'd switched the address on the subscription to Lorelai's house. And his favorite chair was now in her living room. In fact, Rory was sitting in it right now.

He had to laugh. And then he picked up the mail that was important and headed back down the steps, out the door, and through the streets to the place he shouldn't have left in the first place.

"I win!" he heard Lorelai squeal as he opened the door.

"Geez, Luke, you couldn't have taken 10 minutes longer?" Rory grumbled as he stepped into the room.

"You were betting on long it would take me to come back?" He was starting to get a clue.

"Yep." Lorelai grinned at him. So did Rory.

He joined the two of them on the couch. "Why didn't you tell me I'd moved?"

"We tried to. You just refused to listen," Lorelai said.

"We thought it was one of those lessons you had to learn on your own," Rory told him.

"So…" Luke looked around the room. "I guess I live here now?"

"You do," Lorelai agreed.

"And…that's OK?"

"Very OK," Rory said, snuggling against him contentedly.

"Welcome home, babe." Lorelai handed him his Sports Illustrated, then cuddled up against his other side.

* * *

About a week later, Luke was pleased to see Lorelai make a surprise visit to the diner in the middle of the day.

"Hi," he said, coming out from behind the counter to give her a quick kiss and escort her to her favorite stool. "Are you here to see me or for a coffee fix?"

"I can't do both?" she asked flirtatiously.

He smiled, acknowledging that without a doubt she could, and filled up a coffee mug for her.

She stuck her nose into the cup, breathing deeply. "Nothing in the world smells as good as that," she decreed, then took a delicate sip, testing out the temperature. "Yummy," she announced.

"You want anything to go with it?"

"Not right now." She circled the rim of the mug with her finger. "Hey, uh, Luke?"

"Yeah?" He was wary because of her tone and braced himself for some favor, or some calorie-laden food request.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but we've been getting back some RSVPs."

"Um, yeah, I guess," he shrugged. He'd noticed some of the ivory return envelopes in a basket she was keeping on the desk.

"And…well, this doesn't happen very often, like maybe only once in a decade or so, kind of like Halley's Comet or something –"

"Halley's Comet is every 76 years."

She looked at him, wide-eyed over the coffee cup. "I'm really impressed you know that."

"Hanging out with your daughter. What can I say?"

"She is a fount of wisdom."

"Anyway, what doesn't happen very often?" he asked, trying to get her back on track.

"Oh. That. Yeah. Me being wrong. That doesn't happen very often."

"What were you wrong about?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "That nobody would come."

"What do you mean?"

"The RSVPs. To our wedding. So far, everybody's coming."

"But you said –"

"I know, I know. And I still think it will pan out in the end. People who send the cards back early are the ones who were probably always planning on coming anyway. The ones sending regrets are still making up their excuses."

"But Lorelai, you said –"

"Luke, it's fine. We can squeeze a couple more seats around the table."

He gave her an exasperated look.

"Hey, look at it this way. Isn't it nice to know we're beloved by all?"

"Lorelai –" His chastisement was cut short when the diner's phone rang. He marched over to the receiver. "Luke's."

"Luke?"

"Yeah?" The gruff voice was familiar, but not familiar enough for him to identify it.

"I'm comin'." The line went dead.

Luke slowly hung up the phone, his mind analyzing the voice he'd just heard. He turned to Lorelai, stunned.

"What?" she asked , concerned by the look on his face.

"I think…" He looked back at the phone, then again at Lorelai. "I think that was my Uncle Louie."

"Really?" She began to look excited.

"This is _not_ a good thing!"

"Did he say he was coming?"

"That's all he said," he growled, starting to pace behind the counter.

"Aw, but Luke, that's so sweet!"

"Louie has never done anything _sweet_ in his life!"

"We'll just sit him by my grandmother. That should take care of both of them," she suggested.

The phone rang again. "This is all your fault!" he told her, reaching for the phone again. "Luke's!" he barked into the receiver.

"For the life of me, I can't fathom how you stay in business," the woman on the other end of the line said.

"Oh, um, sorry." Luke winced, replaying the tone of his greeting in his head. "Sorry. Uh, what can I get for you?"

"An invitation, to start with."

Luke opened his mouth, then froze in place. This voice he recognized. "Rachel?"

Lorelai sat up straight, staring at him and the phone in horror.

"I thought we had an agreement, Luke. I thought you were going to tell me when you needed a wedding photographer."

"Oh, well, I…"

"Instead, I have to hear it from my sister, who heard it from her hairdresser, who heard it from Patty, that you're getting married."

"Yeah, we're…" He took a breath, turned partially away from Lorelai's gaze. "Lorelai and I are getting married."

"So I hear. Do you need a photographer?"

"Well, uh, I…"

"Look, is Lorelai there, by any chance?"

He turned to stare at Lorelai. "Yeah, she is."

"Put her on."

He held out the phone. "She wants to talk to you."

" _Me?!"_

He nodded, holding the phone out to her desperately.

She slid off the stool and reluctantly walked behind the counter, half-heartedly taking the phone from his hand. "Rachel! Um, hi! How are you?" she said, trying to sound upbeat. "Uh-huh, uh-huh. Yeah, October. October 23rd." She looked at Luke, rolling her eyes. "Yes, his mom's birthday. Yeah, we think that's a nice gesture, too." She listened again. "You are? You're in the States right then? Well, isn't that a coinky-dink." She put a hand on his chest, then leaned against it. "That's a very generous offer, Rachel. But are you sure…?" She looked up at him, frowning. "Of course. Of course I understand that." She sighed. "Well then, sure. We'd be delighted to let you take our pictures at the wedding. That will be…" She looked pleadingly at Luke, then squeezed her eyes shut. "Lovely. It will be lovely. Thank you so much." She listened a little bit more. "OK then, we'll send you all the details. Thank you again, Rachel. We will definitely look forward to seeing you. Bye now." She reached past him and hung up the phone.

Luke watched her hobble back over to the stool. "Are you _crazy_? You want my…her… _Rachel_ to be at our wedding?"

"Not particularly." Lorelai took a deep drink of the now-cooled coffee. "But she wants to be there, Luke. Like it or not, you guys have a connection that's never going to go away. She's a friend, _your_ friend, and this is a big day in your life. She wants to be there for you." She took another sip from the mug. "And I'm trying not to feel at all threatened by that."

"Lorelai, you know there's no reason at all for you to feel –"

"I do know, Luke, I do. It's just…" She sighed. "It's just weird. She's your Christopher, and it's weird."

He walked over, silently, and took her hand.

They both watched her engagement ring sparkle for a little bit, as he twisted her hand back and forth.

"She does take dynamite pictures, though," Lorelai finally said thoughtfully.

"She does," Luke agreed.

"So. Full house." Lorelai jumped off the stool, smiling gamely. "Fun, right?"

"Oh, so much fun," Luke deadpanned.

"See you later, sweetie." She leaned over the counter for a kiss.

"Bye." Once she was gone, he lowered his head onto his hands. "Oh my god, they're all coming," he almost whimpered to himself.

* * *

"Hey, how are you doing?" Luke moved Lorelai's legs a little bit, so there was room for him to perch on the couch alongside where she was spread out.

"Not too bad," she answered with a yawn.

"Yeah, I can tell," he disputed. He put a hand on her face, checking for fever.

Rory had brought home some sort of summer flu bug several weeks ago, and just as Rory began to feel better, Luke caught it, even though he rarely got sick. Lorelai was the last to succumb, but it had hit her the hardest.

"No, really, I'm feeling a lot better," she insisted. "I just thought I'd nap a little bit before you got home."

"You stayed all day at work?" He tried to judge how pale she was by how many freckles he could count on her nose.

"Yeah, I made it through, no problem. I'm fine, Luke, really."

"Are you hungry? You want some toast?"

"Hmm, actually I think I'm ready for the big leagues. I thought I'd have some soup."

"Soup coming up." He stood up instantly, eager to go to the kitchen, anxious to get her to eat some more substantial food.

"Hey, hang on." She reached for his hand and pulled herself into a sitting position. "Don't run off right away. There's something I need to talk to you about."

He sat back down reluctantly. "What?"

She settled back against the cushions, smoothing her hair. "Well, you're going to be my husband pretty soon. What is it now? In about six weeks?"

"About that," he agreed, grinning.

"So I think it's time I imparted the most important secret of parenting to you."

His right eyebrow quirked up. "There's a secret to parenting?"

"Oh, yes. Yes indeed. But you've earned my trust, and I think it's time you knew it."

"OK," he shrugged.

She leaned forward a little bit, whispering. "Tomorrow's the first day of school."

He rolled his eyes. "I _know_ that. I'm the one who took Rory to get the rest of her school supplies because you didn't have enough strength to shop. Remember? That's when I knew how sick you were."

"That's not the secret. The secret is that on the first day of school, parents have a holiday."

"A holiday? Really?"

"Oh yes, my friend. The first day that the kids are once again out of the house, parents all over the country celebrate by doing all of the stuff that they haven't been able to do all summer." She grinned. "Now I know, my kid isn't exactly a baby anymore, and she's had a busy summer, but I still like to celebrate in solidarity with all of the other oppressed parents."

"Celebrate how?" Luke wanted to know, shaking his head.

"Well…you could go to Weston's, get a whole dozen doughnuts, bring them home, and eat them all by yourself!"

"You do that all the time anyway."

"Just once. Or…Well OK, maybe twice. But you're missing the point. You can do anything! You can go shopping without having to haul some little person around in the shopping cart, grabbing at everything, whining for candy –"

" _You're_ the one who whines for candy! And how many years has it been since Rory fit into a shopping cart seat? Are you delirious or something?" He reached over to feel her forehead again.

She pushed his hand away. "Luke, you're not seeing the big picture. The kid's in school for the entire day, the house is empty, and we have license to do anything we want. Anyplace we want. For example, something that we haven't been able to do for the last, oh, 17 days. Not that I've been counting or anything."

His breath hitched. "You mean –"

"That's exactly what I mean." She gave him a significant look, her eyes smoldering. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a relapse tomorrow, probably around 10, 10:30. I'm going to have to come home from work. And spend the rest of the day in bed. Now, how are you feeling?"

He swallowed hard, then put a hand around his neck. "I might be getting this scratchy feeling in my throat again. I might have to come home, too, and join you. In bed," he affirmed, his voice gruff.

"Mmm." She leaned over to kiss him hungrily.

"Wait, wait." He drew back, searching her face. "Are you sure you feel good enough for that?"

She wiggled her eyebrows naughtily. "You'll have to be the judge on how good I feel."

"You know what I mean. You've had no energy."

"Which is why it's so important for you to feed me tonight."

"Right. Right!" Once again, Luke jumped to his feet. "Soup, coming right up! Do you want a sandwich, too?"

"Give me the soup first, maybe with crackers, then we'll see."

"OK, great." Luke started for the kitchen, but then turned and came back, bending down to give her another kiss. "Thanks for trusting me with the secret. I think the first day of school is going to be my new favorite holiday."

Lorelai held him in place, wanting one more kiss. "I love having someone to celebrate with," she murmured against his mouth.

"Me too," he agreed fervently, and sprinted to the kitchen.

* * *

"Ha-ha! She has fallen into my evil machinations!" Lorelai cackled gleefully. She leaned across the counter to give Luke a quick kiss, then slid smoothly onto a stool.

"What are you scheming now?" he wondered idly, pouring a cup of coffee for her.

"You know what. Rory's birthday."

"I don't know why you can't just plan a normal party for her."

"I don't do 'normal.' And a surprise party is perfect for her this year."

Luke returned the coffee pot to the warmer, shaking his head. "You'll never be able to keep it from her. She's going to know something's up."

"Oh, but you weren't there today, when Rory asked me about her party this year. Seriously, babe, I deserve an Academy Award." She put on the saddest of sad faces. "'I'm sorry, sweetie, but I just don't think you'll be able to have a big birthday party like we usually do. It's so close to the wedding, and the money's so tight…'" She laughed at her own spectacular deviousness. "Luke, she _soooo_ bought it! You know how conscientious she is about money. She instantly agreed that we could skip the balloons and clowns this year."

"You're mean."

"I am not! I'm the fun mom. Besides, I told her we'd still celebrate. The grandparents have already requested permission to spoil her rotten the Sunday after her birthday, and I told her we'd do something special on the day itself, too. In fact, she asked if we'd take her and Lane to that pumpkin patch, the way we did last year. She's totally cool with downsizing." She laughed and took a sip of coffee. "And it's all going to be worth it, to see her face when we surprise her with the best party of all time!"

Luke leaned on the counter, watching her. "You really think you can keep this as a surprise? With practically the whole town in on it?"

"Of course we can. You know the town loves Rory."

"You honestly think Kirk can keep a secret like this?"

"Oh." Lorelai suddenly looked pensive. "Well…maybe we won't tell Kirk until it's almost time."

"I still want to go on record as being opposed to this whole idea."

"Party pooper," Lorelai pouted.

"A title I can live with," he stated. He kissed her temple and topped off her cup before going to take an order at the other end of the counter.

* * *

The next few weeks brought lots of whispered conversations, sneaky phone calls, and multitudes of shopping bags smuggled into Luke's old apartment for safekeeping. Fortunately, Rory had gotten a part in the school play, and rehearsals kept her away from the house during quite a few evenings, giving Lorelai plenty of party-planning time.

The big day arrived with rain showers, low dark clouds, and a sharp wind. It was not the sort of day to go wandering around a pumpkin patch.

"I don't know about this, Rory," Lorelai said, looking out the kitchen window after breakfast. "We might have to go with Plan B. How does a movie and dinner out sound instead?"

"No!" Rory leaped to her feet in a panic. "We've got to get out of town!"

Luke and Lorelai both looked at her in surprise.

"I mean…today's…special. I want to do something we can't do every other day," she explained, her face flushed.

Luke heard the rain pelting against the house. "We can do it next weekend, Rory. I just think we'd all be miserable outside today."

"We can take umbrellas! And…and wear raincoats!" she insisted, getting even more agitated. "We promised Lane we'd go, and she's been really looking forward to it. You don't want to disappoint Lane, do you?"

"We'll take her next weekend, just like we said we would," Lorelai said placatingly. "Mrs. Kim's not going to want Lane outside in this weather, either."

"But maybe she won't be able to go next weekend. And besides…it's our tradition!" Rory pointed out. "We went last year on my birthday. I want to go this year on my birthday, too. It's our…our thing!"

"Rory –"

"No! You – you _owe_ me!" Rory burst out. "I'm not getting a party, and you promised me this was what we were going to do to celebrate instead! We are _going_ to that pumpkin patch!"

They both stared at the usually even-tempered Rory, who was now standing before them with wild eyes, gasping for breath.

"Well, OK." Lorelai shrugged, but nevertheless looked concerned. "Go call Lane and tell her to pack her hurricane gear. We'll go."

Once Rory had left the room, Luke leaned over to Lorelai. "I told you this surprise thing was a bad idea."

Lorelai looked worried. "Maybe you're right," she sighed.

* * *

The pumpkin patch was even more miserable than they'd expected. The straw was drenched and gave off a sour smell, the paths through the maze had turned to mud, and some of the vendors hadn't even bothered to open up their booths since the turnout was so low.

"Girls, we gave this a chance, but I think it's time to call it quits," Lorelai said, as they all stood shivering underneath an overhang.

"No!" Rory protested. "We haven't – we haven't even had apple cider yet! And Lane _loves_ apple cider. Don't you, Lane?"

Lane looked at her friend and then nodded.

"And…we have to get her some here, because her mom won't let her drink it at home," Rory continued.

"That _is_ true," Lane confirmed.

"OK, then, let's go get some apple cider," Lorelai said with forced cheerfulness.

The girls dawdled over their cups of cider and picked apart an apple fritter with what seemed to be almost calculated slowness. When they finally finished and walked back outside, a new batch of rain showers greeted them.

"That's it," Luke grumbled. "I've had enough. Girls, head to the car. Now!"

In the car, Lorelai turned up the heater and Luke passed out towels they'd brought along. Lorelai started to back up, but glanced at Rory and Lane whispering and making signs at each other in the backseat. Suddenly she stopped the car and turned around to look at them, understanding beginning to break across her face.

"Was this about a _boy_?"

"No!" Rory was horrified.

"Yes," Lane said, at the same time. She gave Rory a look. "I met this boy. At church camp. I thought he was going to be here today, but he wasn't. Probably because of the crummy weather."

" _Lane_ ," Rory said softly, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Lorelai," Lane continued, ignoring Rory. "This was all my fault. I shouldn't have tricked you into bringing me here today."

"Hey, it's OK. At least now I understand what was going on." Lorelai was grinning. "And Lane, I won't lie to your mother for you, ever, but you can be honest with me about stuff, OK? You can always come and talk to me about anything. I hope you know that."

"I do," Lane said earnestly, bobbing her head.

"Well, now _that's_ cleared up…" Lorelai reached for Luke's wrist, turning it so she could see the time. "We're going to go right by the Megaplex on our way out of town. What do you say we stop and see a movie, kill a couple of hours on this rainy afternoon?"

Lorelai gave Luke a wink and a triumphant look. And although neither she nor Luke caught it, in the backseat Rory gave Lane the exact same wink and look of triumph.

* * *

"Here we are! Home sweet home!" Lorelai sang out gaily as they approached the front door of the Crapshack. "Rory, why don't you open up the door?"

"You do it, Mom," Rory said, giving Lorelai a push from behind. "I'm tired. And it's my birthday. You have to do everything I say today."

"Oh, all right." She grinned over at Luke. "I guess that works, too," she said in a low voice to him. She flung open the door and reached inside for the light switch.

"Surprise!" she yelled.

"Surprise!" Dozens of voice yelled from inside the house.

"Surprise!" Rory and Lane shouted, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Wait. What?" Lorelai asked, looking over at Luke.

"Surprise!" Lane shouted again.

"Go in, go in!" Rory encouraged, pushing both Luke and Lorelai over the threshold.

"Wait. What's going on?" Lorelai looked in confusion at the people rushing up to greet them.

"It's your wedding shower!" Miss Patty proclaimed, hugging first Luke, then Lorelai. "Surprise!"

" _Did_ we surprise you?" Babette wanted to know, standing on her tiptoes to hug them as well. "Did you figure it out, that we was surprising you, while you thought we was surprising Rory?"

"I think surprise doesn't even begin to do it justice," Luke said dryly, suffering through more hugs and claps on the back from the townsfolk.

"But this…This is your birthday!" Lorelai protested, turning to Rory in confusion. "This is supposed to be your party!"

Rory shook her head, grinning in delight. "I'll have a birthday every year, Mom. You'll only get to do this once." She pointed at the banner over the fireplace, painted with wedding bells and intertwined Ls.

"But how…I don't understand…" Still flummoxed, Lorelai slowly turned around her living room, trying to take it all in, noting the wedding decorations sharing space with the birthday balloons and streamers she'd asked Babette to put up while they were out of the house.

"Oh, it was all this one," Mia said, stepping up to put an arm around Rory. "She had the idea to surprise you with a shower all along, but when you decided to make her birthday party a surprise, it was fairly easy to turn the tables on you. Pretending to plan a party for Rory was the perfect cover! I wasn't sure we could do it, but Rory was confident we could!"

"Ditto," Luke commented, putting his arm around Lorelai.

"I had lots of help," Rory said modestly. "It wasn't just me."

"Don't let her kid you," Babette said. "This gal could be in the spy biz. She'd make a great double agent!"

Lorelai suddenly whirled around to face Lane. "Was there even a boy?"

Lane shook her head. "Mama Kim would kill me if she thought I even looked at a boy."

"And you!" Lorelai pointed an accusing finger at Rory. "Is there a play?"

"Nope," Rory answered proudly.

"She really is just like you," Luke couldn't help but note.

"Come on, come on! Up to the seat of honor!" Patty ushered them to the fireplace.

"There's only one chair," Lorelai noticed.

"Oh honey, when you're young and in love, you only need one!" Laughing, Patty pushed Luke down into the chair, then practically toppled Lorelai into his lap.

Luke automatically put his arms around her, holding her safe.

Music started to play and more neighbors pushed into the already-crowded house, shouting greetings. Extra arms helped Sookie carry in a massive half-wedding cake/half-birthday cake to join overflowing platters of food on a side table.

"You hate this, don't you?" Lorelai whispered sympathetically into Luke's ear.

"You know what?" He hugged her, chuckling to himself. "I actually don't."

"Really?"

"I think I'm good," he assured her. "I think the fact we're getting married in just a couple of weeks is as good of a reason to celebrate as any I've ever heard."

Lorelai gave out a loud whoop. "Somebody get this man a drink!" she cried. "We're partying tonight!"

"Well, isn't that…nice," a cool voice commented.

"Mom!" Lorelai hastily scrambled off of Luke's lap. "And…Dad! My, what a surprise!" She tried to tame her hair back behind her ears.

"Yes, obviously," Emily Gilmore said.

Luke attempted to get to his feet.

"No, sit, sit," Richard urged, in a more jovial tone. "You two are the guests of honor. No need to stand on ceremony tonight."

"This is all a surprise," Luke said, awkwardly trying to smooth things over. "We weren't expecting to see anybody. I mean, you know, not for us."

"Rory invited us," Emily informed them. "She thought it would be nice if we could be here tonight."

"Ah. Gotta love that kid!" Lorelai gingerly perched on Luke's knees, trying to sound enthused.

"It _is_ her birthday, after all. We thought it would be nice to see our granddaughter on her birthday, as well as on Sunday," Emily said pointedly.

"Kill two birds! Awesome idea!" Lorelai said, nodding madly.

"All right, everybody! Make room!" Miss Patty stood before them, clapping her hands. "It's time for the _pièce de résistance_!"

Rory and about ten other girls all dressed in white rushed in and formed a circle. The music screeched to a stop and then "Going to the Chapel" began to play. The girls all began to bob and weave in time to the music.

"I wanted to do Bette Midler's version," Patty confided to Lorelai and Luke, keeping time with her swaying arms. "But Mrs. Slutsky refused to lend us her motorized wheelchair. And I didn't have a mermaid costume that would fit Rory."

"Oh…well…sure," Lorelai tried to comment neutrally. With growing hysteria, she looked from Luke, to her disapproving mother, to Patty, to the girls swinging their hips and singing _"Gonna get marrr-ied…"_ and she lost it. She buried her head against Luke, laughing uncontrollably.

He couldn't help but laugh too, recognizing the level of ridiculousness transpiring around them. He patted Lorelai's back and laughed along with everyone else.

The performance ended and the crowd applauded madly. The girls took bow after bow. Rory threw her bouquet to her mother, who missed, of course, but Luke caught it neatly.

The party guests howled with laughter, pointing at Luke sheepishly holding the bouquet.

"Christopher?" Emily suddenly said.

"Chris? Where?" Lorelai searched the crowd.

Luke spotted him at once, glaring at them. He turned on his heel and stormed back toward the door.

"Chris, wait!" Lorelai tried to push through the party guests.

"Dad!" Rory started to run after him as well, but Lorelai caught her.

"No, Rory, stay here. Stay with Grandma." She put Rory's hand into Emily's. "Stay here until I find out what's going on."

"What's Christopher doing here?" Emily wanted to know.

"That's what I'm going to find out, Mom. Just take care of Rory, OK? Let me handle this." She started for the door again, this time with Luke running interference.

They squeezed outside and saw Christopher heading for the street, a wrapped present under his arm.

"Christopher, wait!" Lorelai took off after him. Luke lagged several paces behind, wanting her to be the one to confront him.

"Chris, for the love of God, stop already!"

He finally stopped and turned around, staring sullenly at the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Lorelai panted, once she'd caught up to him. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. Thankfully the rain had stopped, but the October night was plenty chilly.

He shook the present at her. "What do you think I'm doing here?"

She looked at the present, slightly bedraggled now after being shaken. "You came for Rory's birthday?"

"Of course I came for Rory's birthday!"

"Well…that's very nice. Why did you leave?"

"Because I came for my daughter's birthday, and instead I find it's all about you! And him!" He swung his arm in Luke's direction. "The perfect couple! Why should I stay?"

"Because it's your daughter's birthday. She's going to be crushed if you don't come back in."

"I would have thought that this was the one day you'd be willing to take a backseat, Lor. I mean, seriously? You had to do this on her birthday?"

"I _didn't_ do this! We thought we were giving Rory a surprise party, but instead she surprised us! She planned all of this with the town's help. We had no idea what was going on here tonight."

Chris looked over at the noisy house. "She did all this?"

"She did," Lorelai nodded.

He looked at the ground again, but this time he was slightly smiling. "She's quite the miracle-worker, isn't she?"

"Well, she's no Anne Bancroft," Lorelai said, unable to resist the quip.

"We agree about the miracle part, though," Luke spoke up, from his vantage point between them and the rollicking party house.

Christopher gave him a hard look, then turned back to Lorelai. "This is tough for me, you know, seeing you with somebody else. Accepting that you're going to have the things with him that I always thought we'd get around to someday."

"Chris –"

"No, forget it. I get that the two of you – that it's for real. And I'm trying. I really am trying, to be around for Rory."

"You are! You're doing great!" Lorelai encouraged him. "She loves it when you call her, Chris! You should see her face after she gets off the phone with you, it's like she's floating, she's so happy. And she had such a good time when you took her to the zoo. And, oh, my god – when you sent her the care package with the butterscotch drops and comic books when she was sick? She carried them around with her for _days_!"

"She did," Luke concurred.

Christopher sighed, moving the present from one arm to the other. "That's why I came tonight. I thought she'd like it if I came to see her on her birthday."

"Chris, let's analyze that idea for a moment, OK? It's her birthday. You didn't think that maybe we'd already have plans for her tonight? You thought we'd just be sitting around here, waiting for you to show up?"

"Uh…" He looked blankly at Lorelai. "I guess…not? Not when you put it like that, anyway. So…what? I can't surprise my own daughter on her birthday?"

"Of course you can! We are totally in favor of surprises around here." Lorelai took his arm and began to urge him back towards the house. "You can surprise the daughter any time, but you can't _ever_ surprise the mom."

Chris stopped to stare at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, surprise Rory all you want, but you have to keep me informed. Me, the mom. The keeper of the calendar. The sultan of the schedule. The one who will make sure that the daughter is around to be surprised when the dad shows up."

"Gotcha," Chris said, slowly starting to nod. "Tell _you_ when I want to make plans with Rory."

"Exactly." All three of them began to move towards the house again. "Now, come on in and join the party. Oh, and by the way, since you're here, you're in charge of entertaining my parents." She rushed through the door before Chris had a chance to balk.

"Lor! That's not –!" He stopped protesting, realizing she wasn't close enough to hear him anymore. "Why are Richard and Emily here?" he asked Luke.

"Same reason you are. It's Rory's birthday."

"Man, that kid's a troublemaker." He smiled faintly at Luke, then looked inwards at the party revelers.

"Hey," Luke interjected, stopping him before he took a step inside. "That care package you sent Rory. She really did love it."

"Well, I'm glad. It sucks to be sick."

Luke decided to take his chances and press ahead. "In fact, she loved it so much, it made me sort of jealous," he admitted.

Christopher chuckled a little bit. "Did it now?"

"Yep. Made me hate you all over again."

He smiled broader. "Mission accomplished, then."

They stood together, watching the party, an unlikely, uneasy alliance of two. "Do you think we'll get better at this?" Christopher asked, after several minutes of quiet contemplation.

"I do," Luke decided. "After all, we've already got a couple of things in common."

"I guess we do at that." Christopher squared his shoulders and attempted to straighten the pink bow on Rory's gift. "I'm going to go find Rory. And I guess, get the third degree from Emily Gilmore."

Luke spotted Emily and saw that her eyes were riveted on the two of them. "Hey, better you than me, man."

Chris snorted. "That's not very sporting of you."

"Just consider it payback for those butterscotch drops and comic books." He clapped Chris on the back before going off to look for his bride-to-be.


	9. Not Gonna Miss a Thing

_One week left…_

"Do you remember what Christmas was like, when you were a kid?" Luke asked softly. It was weird for him to still be awake, but there were too many thoughts tumbling through his head to allow sleep to come easily.

Lorelai snuggled against Luke's chest, on the verge of entering dreamland herself. "Hmm, let's see…apple tarts…followed by crushing disappointment," she whispered.

He smiled and looked up at the ceiling through the dark. "Sorry, wasn't trying to dredge up bad memories." Her hair was fanned over his chest and he continued to run his fingers through it. "I meant, do you remember what it was like waiting for it? The anticipation?"

"Sure," she said drowsily.

"I remember how depressing it was in June, to realize there were still six long months to go before it would be Christmas. December was so far away, it was like it would never get here."

Lorelai quietly chuckled. "Yeah."

"And then school would start up again, but Christmas was still this sort of…mirage, almost, way off in the distance. But once Halloween hit, you could _almost_ believe that December would come again, too. Finally it was Thanksgiving, and then you slid into the holidays. There was so much stuff to do then, trees to get, and visits to Santa, and concerts to practice for. My mom would always get out this cardboard calendar thing, where you opened up a little window or door every day."

"Oh, advent calendars! I love those," Lorelai chimed in dreamily.

"Anyway, you'd start counting down, 10 days, a week…and the next thing you'd know, it was all over. Somehow this thing you'd been looking forward to, couldn't wait to have happen…it was all over and you almost felt like…you'd missed it."

"Hmm," Lorelai sighed.

"And I don't want that to happen with our wedding," Luke admitted, finally voicing his fear.

"What to happen?"

"I don't want this next week to disappear on me. I don't want to suddenly look around and realize the wedding's all over. I mean, I can't wait – I want it to get here, I want to be married to you…but I don't want to rush through these next few days with my mind on something else."

Lorelai struggled up on one elbow, peering at him through the faint light from the clock-radio. "Do you want me to make you sort of an advent calendar for our wedding? You could open up a little window every day."

"I think we've already established that system doesn't work."

She settled back down next to him. "Well, I know what I always tell Rory, when she's antsy for Christmas or her birthday or whatever excitement is coming up next. I tell her it's not just that one day, that one thing. It's not just the one hour we sit under the tree, opening the presents. It's all the preparation, too, and the whole atmosphere, like listening to Christmas songs on the radio. Cocoa and the pageant the night before. Grandma's apple tarts at the beginning of the month. Christmas movies every night. It's even shopping for all of the markdowns the week after Christmas. All of it's fun, and every single one of those things makes up the whole enchilada of excitement."

"Yeah, I get that. But how can I make sure…" He shook his head, unable to express his concern exactly. "When my parents would talk about their wedding, you could tell it was the most important day in their lives. They had so many stories about it. You know how sometimes I get so focused on the outcome of things, the schedules and what has to be done. How can I make sure I don't miss all of the little pieces? I'm worried that years from now, the only thing I'm going to remember is looking at the clock to make sure we all get to the church on time."

"I won't let that happen." She pulled herself up over his chest, so she could look down on him. She put her hands on either side of his face. "I'll make things stop, Luke. I'll make sure you look around and…savor the moments. All of them." She bent her head and kissed him.

"You promise?" he whispered.

"Oh, I promise, all right." She kissed him again, lingering this time. "You're not going to miss a thing."

* * *

 _Two days left…_

Giggles made Luke turn around. Rory and Jess sat at the table by the curtain, their heads together, looking over whatever Rory had written in her notebook.

Luke remembered how shocked he'd been to pull a thick letter out of the mailbox, addressed to Rory, from his nephew, a week or two after their trip to New York. He still couldn't believe that Jess, a boy of so few spoken words, could fill 10 pages with written ones. At least, as long as they were written to Rory, he could. The letters had continued between the two of them all summer, and their frequency had increased once school started, when they had even more news to share with each other.

He nodded, satisfied to see them happily working together. It was good for the both of them, he believed, to meet someone else who liked the same things and had a similarly unconventional background. He thought their friendship made them feel less singular, more a part of the mainstream. Like they were less peculiar than what they'd possibly feared.

Liz and Jess had arrived earlier in the day, the Saturday before the wedding. He, Lorelai and Rory had reintroduced them to the town, spent a little time together at the house, then took them over to the Inn to get settled. The vague plans to spend the evening together had morphed into Sookie and Liz bursting into the house to 'kidnap' Lorelai, deciding between the two of them that she needed to go out on the town for a last-minute bachelorette party.

"You look after her," he'd grumbled to Liz.

"Luke, it's Stars Hollow!" Liz laughed at him. "Seriously, how much trouble _could_ we get into, even if we tried?"

"There's not even a car involved," Sookie cheerfully pointed out. "And since I've been up since 4 AM, I'll probably do a face-plant on the bar after my third shot, if not my second. These two will have to carry me home."

" _You're not helping_ ," Lorelai said under her breath, correctly analyzing the look on Luke's face.

"We'll take good care of her," Liz promised, more patronizing than reassuring. "Don't worry, Bro, you know I want this wedding to take place as much as you do, and I won't let anything happen that might jeopardize that. No matter _how_ cute the bartender is." A memory suddenly hit her. "Hey, does Hank Ferguson still work the bar on the weekends?"

"Yes, and he's married, has four kids, is almost bald and working on his second beer belly," Luke informed her.

"Aw, too bad. I thought he was pretty hot when I was 18."

"How did you…Never mind," Luke said, deciding he didn't really want to know.

So Liz and Sookie escorted Lorelai off for some ceremonial carousing, and he'd brought the kids over to the diner for the rest of the night. And so far, it seemed to be working out. No calls from the cops to come pick up a drunken sister and/or fiancée, and the kids were happy. Plus working gave him something to do instead of anxiously counting down the hours until the wedding.

However, the evening traffic in the diner had been slow enough that when the bells jingled he looked over to see who was coming in, almost glad to have some company.

He didn't recognize the woman stepping through the door. She was older, but certainly not in a grandmotherly way. Her hair was a brilliant chestnut color, and she held her head up confidently, as if strange places and unknown people held no fear for her. And although Luke knew nothing about such things, he had the impression that the muted scarf around her neck and the tailored pants and jacket she wore were definitely high-end.

Before he could say anything in greeting, the unknown woman saw Rory and stopped cold. The color drained from her face as she stared at her.

Luke didn't like the way she was zeroed in on Rory. He came out from behind the counter and deliberately stepped in front of the woman, blocking her view. "Something I can help you with?"

Her eyes instantly went to him instead, and he was taken aback to see tears in them.

"I…" She shook her head. "Sorry. I…I need to –" Abruptly she turned and fled back out the door.

"I'll be right back," Luke told Jess and Rory – not that they were paying any attention to him anyway – and then he rushed out the door too, wondering where the woman had gone.

Not far, it turned out. She was at the end of the block, leaning against the wall of the drugstore, her shoulders shaking.

"Are you all right?" he asked politely, concerned, but not wanting to appear too familiar.

She wiped her cheeks off before she turned to face him. She sized him up, then said, "You're Luke, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"And the girl." She took in a deep, almost shuddering breath. "That's Lorelai's daughter, isn't it? That's Rory?"

Luke was surprised, but still didn't want to give away too much. "You know Lorelai?"

"I'm her aunt. I'm Hope, Hope Gioberti. I'm Emily's sister."

"You're Hope?" Luke felt foolish now for being so suspicious. "Lorelai's been over the moon with excitement, ever since she found out you were coming. She can't wait to see you again."

Uncontrollable tears began to slide down Hope's cheeks again.

"Oh, oh…hey now," Luke said uncomfortably, not sure what he should do to stop her from crying.

"I'm sorry. I assure you, I'm usually not the weepy type," she said, dipping her head and sniffling.

"Why don't you come back to the diner with me. I could get you some coffee, or tea, or something."

"That would be lovely." She wiped at her face again. "And hopefully you have a ladies' room, so I can repair this mascara disaster before someone mistakes me for a raccoon?"

Luke smiled, because for some reason he could imagine Lorelai saying the same thing. "Sure. Tell you what, let's duck down the alley here, and I'll take you in through the back. Then you can freshen up before you see Rory."

Hope reached out and touched his arm, beginning to smile. "You're very kind."

He escorted her through the alley, which was not exactly a highpoint on the Stars Hollow walking tour. He pointed her in the direction of the restroom, then went to start a fresh pot of coffee. When he saw her emerge from under the curtain, he went over to meet her.

"Do you want me to introduce you?" he asked softly, not wanting Rory to hear if Hope preferred not to face her yet.

But she nodded, eager now. "Yes, please."

Luke turned towards the kids' table. "Rory?"

Reluctantly she tore her focus away from the fascinating notebook. "What?" she grumped. But then she saw the strange woman standing there and she looked between them, now more interested than annoyed at the interruption.

"This is your Aunt Hope," Luke stated.

"Great-Aunt, actually," Hope added. "If you want to be precise."

"And this is my nephew, Jess," Luke continued.

"Hi, Jess, nice to meet you," Hope responded politely, but her eyes turned back to Rory almost immediately.

"Hi," Jess muttered, then clamped his lips shut, done with the niceties.

"You're Aunt Hope?" Rory beamed with excitement. "Mom's been telling me stuff about you nonstop!"

"Has she?" Hope's voice choked up again. "Rory, I realize you don't know me at all, but would you permit me a hug?"

"Yeah, I think a hug would be fine." Rory slid out of the chair and stood up, quickly coming to Hope's side. "I kind of feel like I know you anyway, just from Mom's stories." She tucked her arms around Hope's waist.

Hope held Rory to her. Her eyes shut, and she rested her chin against the top of Rory's head.

"It's really nice that you came so far to see Mom and Luke get married." Rory was still trying to be friendly, but she pulled away, having had enough of the closeness.

Hope seemed to understand and took a step back, although she still was eating Rory up with her eyes. "You remind me very much of your mother when she was your age."

"Yeah, Mom and I look a lot alike," Rory easily agreed, returning to her seat next to Jess. "That's what everyone says."

"How about that cup of coffee now?" Luke suggested, trying to ease Hope away from Rory.

"That sounds fantastic." Hope took one more long look at Rory before coming over to sit on one of the counter stools. "Thank you," she said, as Luke filled a blue mug for her. She sipped, then gave him a more inquisitive glance. "This is _very_ good coffee."

"Thanks," Luke shrugged. He leaned against the back counter. "So what brings you to Stars Hollow tonight? I'm guessing it wasn't just a sightseeing trip."

She finished taking another sip of coffee and then shook her head. "No, I was hoping…Well, obviously I was hoping to see Lorelai. I went to her house first, and when no one was there, the blonde lady next door told me to try the diner."

Luke chuckled wryly. "How much info did Babette pump out of you?"

Hope bent her head, smiling. "She _is_ very good at interrogation."

"Just so you know, whatever you told her will be all over town by tomorrow morning."

"There's not much to tell, other than who I am and how very anxious I am to see my niece."

"You'd be surprised at how much will be added to that by the time it goes around town. You'll be the estranged wife of some mafia hitman, in desperate need of a kidney."

Hope smiled again, then indicated the street outside of the diner's windows. "Tall tales notwithstanding, this seems to be a lovely little town."

"It is. It's got its quirks, but we like it here. For the most part."

She started to take another sip of coffee, but stopped suddenly, and stared at the dark liquid instead. "I guess I'm wondering if Lorelai has told you anything about me."

"She hasn't said much." Luke proceeded cautiously. "I know that you haven't seen each other in a very long time, and that maybe there'd been some sort of trouble between the two of you. The one thing I _do_ know for certain is that Lorelai's feet didn't touch the ground the day she got your RSVP in the mail. She really didn't think there was much of a chance you'd come to the wedding."

Hope swallowed hard, then sighed. She gripped the edge of the counter, as if she needed strength. "I'm afraid that the years have allowed a great deal of misunderstanding to build up between us. Would you mind…if I practiced what I need to say to Lorelai by telling you first?"

Luke pulled his head back, surprised. "No, um…I guess not. Go ahead, if you want."

Hope looked around first, maybe trying to find a place to start. "Is Lorelai working tonight? At that inn Emily hates so much?"

Luke had to smile at that truth being stated so plainly. "No. My sister, Jess's mom, came into town today. She and Sookie, Lorelai's best friend, decided to take her out tonight. Sort of an impromptu bachelorette thing."

"Oh!" Hope chuckled "A hen do, eh?"

"A what?"

"In Britain, that's what it's called when the girls get together to party with the bride." She waved a hand in the air. "Trust the Brits to have the proper slang for most everything."

"O…kay," Luke said doubtfully.

Hope sighed again. "I guess I should start at the beginning. Emily is my sister."

"That I do know."

"Good," she chuckled. "One piece of information down, then. I was the little sister; Emily and I are about two and half years apart. We grew up in a house very much like the one Emily and Richard live in now. When we were young, she and I were very close. She was my role model in all things. And then…" Hope shook her head. "The sixties happened. And Emily went one way…and I went the other."

"Ah," Luke nodded. He topped off her coffee cup.

"Emily wanted the life we already knew. She wanted a husband like our father and a household she could dictate. Her only reason for going to college was because that was what young ladies in our social strata did until they got married. When she met Richard, it was like her graduation day. She was going to get the job she wanted.

"But I looked around and saw that the world was changing, and changing in my favor. The last thing I wanted was to be some sort of society wife like our mother was, constantly on the phone to arrange some charity function or other, always buying new gowns to wear, regularly being bored to tears listening to the same gossip from the same people at every single dinner party. I wanted out. I wanted to be able to do whatever I wanted."

Luke laughed and Hope looked at him in surprise. "Sorry, not laughing at you. That just sounds exactly like Lorelai."

Hope smiled too. "Yes, Lorelai and I had a lot in common. That was part of the problem."

"What was?"

"I'm getting ahead of myself." Hope took a quick sip of coffee, regrouping. "Emily married Richard, and I took summer courses; doubled up wherever I could, and managed to finish college at almost the same time. She had the traditional wedding, with the long train and tiara; registered for the 12-piece china settings. Meanwhile, I found a man destined for a job abroad. We eloped and went straight to his post in London.

"The marriage didn't last long, just a few years. But by then I knew I couldn't come back here and be happy. I moved around Europe as I pleased, finding jobs as I needed them, new places to live. The only thing that enticed me to come home at all was my new baby niece."

"Lorelai showed me a picture of you holding her as a baby. Nice go-go boots," Luke said sardonically. "Very groovy."

"They were!" Hope laughed. "We'll just see what the world thinks of backwards baseball caps in 20 years."

"Touché," he conceded.

"Anyway, Lorelai was the apple of my eye. She was adorable, of course, but so smart, and so funny too, even as a very tiny girl. I didn't think I'd ever settle down enough to have a child of my own, so I figured Lorelai would be as close to motherhood as I'd ever get. I saw her as much as I could. I came home more frequently, and when Emily and Richard would come to London to see his mother once a year, I'd meet them. We wrote letters back and forth. Emily would keep me up to date about Lorelai's grades, whatever fad she was currently enjoying…" Hope faded off, her eyes staring blankly at a spot over Luke's shoulder.

"Then what happened?" he questioned, trying to prod her onward with the story. "What changed?"

"Lorelai changed. Or rather, grew up, came into her own. She became dissatisfied with the life she was expected to lead. Suddenly, all I heard from Emily was a constant stream of complaints. Every phone call, every letter. Nothing but wailing about how Lorelai was making them miserable.

"And…that's when I made my first mistake." Hope looked at him soberly. "I tried to fix everything. You see, I understood exactly what Lorelai was feeling. I'd gone through the same thing. So I offered to take Lorelai off of Emily's hands for a while. I suggested she come to Europe and live with me for a semester. Get her mind off of the boys at school. Open up her horizons. Let her experience more of life than what the stifling Hartford society set could offer."

Luke blew out a breath. "I'm guessing Emily didn't like that idea?"

"She _hated_ it. Hated me for suggesting it." Hope took a gulp of coffee, then shook her head. "She very coldly reminded me that I was not Lorelai's mother, and furthermore, since I wasn't a mother myself, I had no business thinking that I could raise her better than Emily could. Of course, that wasn't my intention, but Emily was furious. She wouldn't listen to me at all. All I wanted was to give them some breathing room; maybe give Lorelai some more time to mature without the daily battle with her parents."

"Makes sense," Luke agreed.

"Emily was so angry…she stopped communicating with me at all for several months. And when I finally heard from her again…Well, Lorelai was pregnant."

"Whoa," Luke whistled.

"Yes. That was a very…difficult time. Emily was still very angry at me, I think because as it turned out, I'd been right. She _should_ have let Lorelai come to me. And there's nothing Emily hates more than being proven wrong." Lost again in memories, Hope stared down at the coffee cup. "I came over one time while Lorelai was pregnant, and again right after Rory was born."

"Saw that picture, too," Luke put in.

Hope nodded, but kept going. "Both visits were nearly unbearable. The atmosphere in the house was deadly. They wanted Lorelai to be…repentant. Meek. And malleable. But none of those traits are in Lorelai."

"No, they're not," Luke wholeheartedly agreed.

"So again, battles were fought over what Lorelai was going to do with her life; who was truly in charge of the baby. No one was happy. Almost a year went by with very little change. Now, you'd think I would have already learned my lesson the first time, but I didn't." She looked grimly up at Luke. "Once again, I offered to open my home to Lorelai and Rory. I suggested they come to France and live with me."

Luke winced. "Same result?"

"Even worse, if you can believe it. Emily lashed out at me so cruelly…I was hurt so deeply by some of the things she said that I couldn't bear to talk to her anymore. I retreated, tried to forget I had any connections to the States at all."

"Then what happened?"

"I got a call from Richard one night." She traced the top of the coffee mug with her finger. "Lorelai had taken Rory and left the house; they had no idea where. Emily was –" She suddenly looked up at Luke intently. "I'm sure you think you know Emily Gilmore, and you can't imagine her being devastated by anything, but she was. When Lorelai left, Emily…crumbled. She was…" Hope shook her head, at a loss for words descriptive enough. "She just wasn't Emily anymore. She…disappeared into herself somewhere. And Richard asked me to come home to help with her, until he could find the girls, until Emily was able to function again." She shrugged. "So I did. I put aside all of the hateful words that had shot from my sister's mouth and came home to help."

"Very generous of you."

"She was my sister. I couldn't have stayed away, not when she needed me."

Luke nodded in understanding.

"So I came home, and I helped Emily find her balance again, and I very carefully watched every word I said, for fear I'd start up the feud between us again. Once I saw how broken Emily was…I felt that I needed to be much more cautious around her. And when Lorelai was located and they were debating what to do, Emily let me know that it was their decision, that my input was not welcome. And this time…I didn't offer anything. I…was silent. I felt that I had to choose either my sister or my niece, and after witnessing Emily's fragile side…I chose my sister."

"You're right, I can't image Emily Gilmore being devastated by anything, but I can see why you'd feel that way, if she was in as bad of a way as you say."

"Oh, Luke, how I've regretted that decision over the years! I've missed Lorelai so, and it tore my heart out, never getting to know Rory at all."

"You could have contacted Lorelai anytime. I'm sure she missed you, too, and she would have understood. No one understands Emily's ways better than Lorelai."

"No, I couldn't. I couldn't take the chance. I worried that if I reached out to Lorelai, she'd mention it to her mother, and then Emily would retaliate against both of us. I felt it was better to just let things be."

At that moment, Rory laughed at something Jess was adding to the notebook. Hope turned to look at them, her hand over her heart. "But I'm so full of regret. Seeing Rory tonight, seeing her look so much like Lorelai did at that age…it's almost more than I can handle." She sighed and turned back on the stool, facing Luke. "I wish I would have been brave enough to scoop them up all of those years ago and bring them home with me, Emily be damned. I would have made sure that both of them were cared for and nurtured. Lorelai could have continued her schooling and Rory would have been well-loved. I'm so sorry I let Emily influence me."

"I wish you could have done that too." Luke thought about the struggles he knew Lorelai had faced during those years as a maid, taking care of Rory and trying to build a life for the two of them in Stars Hollow. He thought about how much easier her life would have been in her Aunt Hope's care.

But suddenly the flip-side of that wish became clear to him as well. Had Lorelai and Rory been whisked off to live in Europe a decade ago, there was no chance that the wedding taking place in two days would be a reality.

He gulped, feeling lightheaded at that thought. "I wish…" he struggled with the words. "I do wish Lorelai could have had you around to help her."

Smiling, Hope put her hand on his. "You're a good man, Luke Danes."

"You don't know that," he scoffed.

"Oh yes I do. I saw it all on your face just now. You were realizing what it would have meant to you, if Lorelai had come to live with me. But you love her enough to want the best for her, even if that wouldn't have been what was best for you."

Luke had to smile. She had his number, all right.

She squeezed his hand. "I am very much the romantic, though. You can't live in France for as many years as I have and not be one. I believe that no matter where Lorelai had been for the past 10 years, one day she would have returned to see her parents. She would have driven through this charming little town for some reason or other, and she would have stepped into this diner for a cup of coffee." Hope smiled at him. "She would have taken one look at you, and those blue eyes of hers would have locked with those blue eyes of yours… _et voilà_ '! True love would still blossom!"

"Listen…" Luke shook his head, still grinning. "Why don't you go on over to the bar where they took Lorelai? I know she'd love to see you."

"Oh, I'm not sure…" Nervously, Hope chewed her lip.

"I'm sure." Luke grabbed a napkin and started to draw a map, showing how to get from the diner to K.C.'s. "I'm sure that you and Lorelai shouldn't spend one more hour apart."

"But what if she…I mean, the note she sent in the invitation was lovely, but –"

"All the more reason for you to get this straightened out now. Don't let this misunderstanding take away any more time from the two of you." He held the directions out to her.

She took the map and stood up, still not looking convinced. "Luke, thank you so much. You've been so kind, and a wonderful listener." She shot him a quick smile. "I am truly in your debt."

He waved a hand in the air. "If you feel you owe me something, maybe you could try saying that 'good man' thing around Lorelai's parents. They pretty much hate me."

"Oh, Luke. They don't hate you. They just don't understand you. And what you don't understand, you fear."

"What are you talking about?" Befuddled, he indicated himself and his surroundings. "What's to understand?"

"They're not used to someone like you, someone who's content with life, who isn't fighting to attain more. They're used to people who are always scheming to put another dime in the bank, or to move up the corporate ladder a notch or two. You're a mystery to them."

Luke snorted. "I'm the least mysterious guy around."

"Perhaps," Hope laughed. "But still, they don't understand how you can be happy just going about your life, satisfied to do the same things every day. They see that as a lack of ambition."

"I have ambitions," Luke argued. "I want the diner to be successful enough to take care of everything Lorelai and Rory need. I want us to have a happy life together. I want us comfortable enough so that when Lorelai and I have a ba–" Embarrassed, he cut off what he was going to say and swiftly glanced over at Rory.

Hope reached over to pat his hand again. "And that is precisely what makes you a good man in my book." She straightened up, then fluttered the napkin at him. "You really think it's OK for me to crash the party?"

"I think Lorelai would be disappointed if you didn't."

"All right, then." She nodded firmly, picked up her handbag, and began to walk to the door, but then diverted to say good bye to Rory. "Rory, it's been a pleasure to meet you."

Remembering her manners, Rory got up to say goodbye. "Yeah, you too." She smiled brightly. "I guess I'll see you at the wedding?"

Jess stood up too, Rory's politeness rubbing off on him.

Hope smiled kindly at both of them. "I'll see you tomorrow night, first. Your grandmother wants me to attend the rehearsal dinner."

"Oh, that will be nice." Rory took the initiative and stepped up to give Hope one of her semi-awkward hugs. Hope beamed with pleasure.

"You are a treasure," Hope murmured, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Goodnight, now. Luke, thank you again, for everything." She walked out of the diner and they watched her look at the map and turn the correct way on the sidewalk.

"What a night," Luke muttered to himself. He turned towards the kids. "Anybody want anything?" he asked in a normal voice.

Rory had retaken her seat at the table, but she perked up at his offer. "Is there pie?"

"Yeah, I think so. You want some?"

"Yes!"

"Jess?"

"If Rory's having some."

Hiding his smile, Luke plated two pieces of apple pie and brought them over to the table. "Do you want some milk to go with this?"

"Mmm, yes," Rory said through a full mouth, having already taken a bite.

The bells jingled again. Rory looked past him at the newcomer. Her eyes brightened. She swallowed quickly. "Rachel! Hi!"

"Not funny," Luke said succinctly before he turned around.

"Hi, stranger," Rachel said.

"Rachel." He couldn't think of anything to say. "Uh…hi."

"Hi," she said again, grinning.

"Rachel, this is Jess," Rory volunteered, pointing to the dark-haired boy next to her.

Jess ducked his head.

"Jess!?" Rachel looked to Luke for confirmation. "Wow, Jess, I haven't seen you since you were a baby."

Jess glanced over at Rory. "Yeah, seems like there's a lot of that going around tonight."

"Lorelai's aunt was just here," Luke explained to Rachel. "When did you get back? Do you want something to eat?"

Rachel looked at the kids' plates. "Any pie left?"

"Yeah, I think I can scrounge up one more piece." He led her over to the counter.

Rachel took the stool that Hope had just vacated. "I got back a little bit earlier today. Had dinner with my folks, then decided I'd walk around town some." She indicated the camera around her neck. "I always forget how pretty this place is in the fall."

Luke scraped up the last of the sugary sauce and piecrust crumbs from the apple pie pan and added it to her plate. "Stars Hollow is picturesque, there's no denying that."

"Where's Lorelai?" Rachel inhaled the cinnamon scent of the pie before she took the first bite.

"She's with Liz and Sookie over at K.C.'s. And I just sent her aunt over there, too."

"Last night out before the big day, huh?" She nodded knowingly. "And you let Lorelai go over there? Or does Hank Ferguson not tend the bar anymore?"

"Oh come on. Not you too!"

"What's that mean?"

"It means that I've had to already break it to Liz that the hot bartender isn't so hot anymore."

"Well that's a shame." Rachel licked off her fork. "Hunky Hank fueled many forbidden dreams in this town."

"Seriously? He wasn't _that_ good looking."

"He wasn't bad." Rachel grinned at him. "I guess the ladies will have to lust after the hot guy at the diner now."

"Rachel –"

"Luke, relax. I just mean, you look good. And you do. You look…" She looked at him closely. "You look happy. And that's a good thing."

"I am happy," he agreed. "And yeah, that's a good thing." For the first time since she'd stepped into the diner, he looked fully at her. "You've got that happy look going for you, too."

"I am." She smiled, confirming it. "There's no guilt left. And let me tell you, that makes a huge difference in how you feel."

"I never wanted you to feel guilty," he reminded her.

"Oh, I know that. It was all coming from me. But Luke, you have no idea how much fun I'm having now. The travel, the people I meet…it's all so enjoyable now. I couldn't be happier." She stopped, thought about that. "Well, I guess I could be a _little_ happier, but that will come someday, too."

"No one special in your life yet?"

"Hmm, not yet." She coyly swirled her fork through the syrup on her plate. "A couple of contenders, though."

"Well, that's good too, right?"

"It is now, yes." She took a minute to gather her thoughts. "There… _were_ guys. You know, before. You knew that, right?"

"I figured," he acknowledged, having tortured himself over that suspicion for a lot of years prior.

"I mean, we weren't really together, and I'd meet guys…" She shook her head. "I'd date, sometimes. Some of them were…more interesting than others. But there was always this barrier, and that came from the guilt I was hauling around, knowing that the thing between us was still unresolved. But we fixed that, and now I'm free to have fun."

"Glad I'm not holding you back anymore," Luke said sourly.

"Hey, that's not what I meant!"

"I know." He grinned at her, letting her know he was teasing. "Really, Rachel, I'm glad you're having fun and enjoying yourself. You deserve that too."

"Thanks." She pointed the fork at him. "And you still make a damn fine apple pie."

"It's the apples," he explained, deflecting the praise.

"It's the baker," she insisted. "The hot, dreamy baker at the diner. The one all the girls swoon over."

"Stop."

She hopped down off the stool. "Will you let me pay for this?"

"Of course not."

She shook her head. "Honestly, Luke, between your grumpiness on the phone and giving away free food, I really don't know how you stay in business."

"It's because I'm a loveable character," he deadpanned.

"Uh huh." She steadied the camera hanging from her neck. "I think I'll head over to K.C.'s now."

"Why?" Luke was slightly alarmed.

"Because Lorelai might appreciate having some pictures from tonight."

"Yeah, she might," Luke had to admit.

"And I want to go check out Hank Ferguson for myself. I'm not sure if I trust your opinion when it comes to hot guys."

Luke thought about Christopher; compared him to Hank Ferguson. "No, I'm pretty sure about this one."

Rachel laughed even though she didn't understand what was behind his comment. "I'll see you later, Luke." She came around the counter and gave him an affectionate hug, which he returned, even though the camera poked him. "It's good seeing you happy," she repeated.

"You too," he said.

She stopped on the way across the floor to raise her camera and focus it on Rory and Jess. They were so involved with their project they didn't even notice the flash. "See you tomorrow, kids!" she called to them.

"Bye, Rachel!" Rory said back, her head springing up.

As soon as Rachel was out the door, Luke went to it and locked it, and turned the sign to 'Closed' as well. "No more vagabonds off the street tonight," he muttered.

"But we can stay, right?" Rory wanted to know.

"You two can always stay," Luke confirmed, gathering up the last of the plates to wash. He walked back to the sink, shaking his head at his earlier pre-wedding worries. He guessed there was no way he was going to miss anything after all when the majority of it was insisting on happening right in his diner.


	10. It's Only a Day Away

_One day left…_

Liz jumped into the truck's cab and gave an extra bounce on the seat before she leaned over to pull shut the passenger side door. "Being in this truck makes me feel like a little girl again," she commented cheerfully.

"I don't know why," Luke responded sourly. "You were practically an adult by the time Dad got it."

"Yeah, but…" Liz scooted back as far as she could, giving herself enough room to swing her legs in front of her seat, the way a youngster might. "I guess just knowing it's his old truck makes me feel like a kid."

"And that's different how, exactly?" Luke turned the truck sharply out onto the road, beginning the trek to Hartford. "After all, maturity's _never_ been a strong trait of yours. Why should tonight be any different, right?"

"Whoa! Hey, what's the deal? You're mad at _me_?"

"Nah. Surely not. Why would I be mad at you?" Luke's jaw tightened as he tried not to yell at his sister. "I mean, you only had…what? Three months? Three months to find a song to sing for the wedding?"

"I did have a song to sing," Liz pointed out calmly.

Luke made a noise of contempt. "Liz, seriously. _Stairway to Heaven_? What in the world were you thinking?" Angry, his foot pressed heavily against the accelerator.

"I was thinking it captured the essence of what you and Lorelai are doing. You're climbing the stairway to heaven, bro! Marrying your soul mate!"

"Oh, for crying –"

"Hey, does Coop still patrol this stretch of highway as religiously as he used to?" Liz glanced over at the speedometer, then peered into the dark, on the lookout for a police car. "I'd hate for you to get a ticket on the way to your rehearsal dinner. For sure that'd be bad karma."

"I can do the driving on my own, thank you very much," Luke groused. But he let the speed gradually drop off anyway. Liz was right; the night had been bad enough without a ticket to top it off.

He looked down the road, to where he could see the taillights of Lorelai's car. She had Rory and Jess with her, and oh, lucky him, he had Liz. They'd decided to drive separately from the church to the fancy dinner in Hartford because afterwards they were going to spend the night apart. For practically the first time in her life, Lorelai had the urge to be traditional about something. Why it had to be _this_ thing, Luke had no idea.

As if she could read his mind, Liz asked, "Are you this upset because she kicked you out of bed for the night?"

"She didn't –!" Luke struggled once again not to yell. "I'm irritated at you, Liz, not at Lorelai. I'm finding it hard to understand why you couldn't have picked a suitable song and been ready to sing it tonight."

"Luke, chill out. I had a song, but once I got there and felt the vibes, it wasn't right, man. Don't worry, though. My pal will be here in the morning and we'll get it figured out. He's like a freakin' genius when it comes to vibes and putting the right tunes together with the right people."

"Oh, by all means, let's get the _vibe_ right," Luke grumbled. "Stupid word," he added.

"Speaking of vibes, geez, what's wrong with Lorelai's mom? Talk about having a stick up your butt!"

"You know about Lorelai's parents, about their money, their life. They're already upset about the wedding because they didn't get to plan it out the way they wanted it to be. Having you mess up the song was just the icing on the cake!"

"I didn't mess up the song. I chose not to sing all of it, because I could feel it wasn't right."

"Whatever. As far as they're concerned, it's just another example of why this wedding's going to be a disaster."

"The wedding is _not_ going to be a disaster," Liz said firmly. "Lorelai's planned everything out beautifully." She frowned, thinking back over the rehearsal. "I couldn't help but notice, though – is there bad blood between Mia and Lorelai's mom?"

Luke scoffed. "You could say that, yeah."

"So dish! What's wrong?"

"Has Lorelai told you about how she came to Stars Hollow, how she ended up at the Inn?"

"Yeah, sort of, I guess," Liz shrugged.

"Then you know she basically ran away from home when she was 17. She packed up Rory, got on a bus, and came here to Stars Hollow. She went to the Inn and Mia gave her a job, helped her get on her feet."

"Sounds like Mia, all right."

"Yeah, and that's what's wrong."

Liz shook her head in confusion. "That Mia helped Lorelai?"

"Emily believes that if Mia would have just slammed the door in Lorelai's face, then Lorelai would have had no choice but to go back home."

Liz gave a hoot of disbelief. "First off, Mia would have never done that. And secondly, Lorelai would have just moved on to another town, maybe one not nearly as nice as Stars Hollow, where she would have found some other sort of job, most likely one not as socially acceptable as being a maid." Liz looked grim. "It was incredibly lucky that Lorelai knocked on Mia's door! Doesn't Emily know Lorelai at all? No way Lorelai would have just given up and gone back to Hartford!"

"I know that, and you know that, but Emily prefers to think that's all it would have taken to discourage her."

"That's nuts!"

"Yeah, well…" Luke sighed and continued driving.

Liz continued to mull it over. "So they've been fighting about this?"

"No, not really. Not yet, anyway. They've only seen each other three times, including tonight. The first time they were thrown together, Emily was frosty, but polite. Then when they were both at our house a couple of weeks ago, on Rory's birthday, Emily managed to spill a drink all over Mia."

Liz whistled.

"She said it was an accident, and apologized profusely, offered to pay for the dry cleaning…" Luke trailed off, his thumb tapping against the steering wheel. "It _was_ very crowded that night, and Emily claimed she didn't know Mia was standing right behind her, but Lorelai was skeptical about the circumstances. And then tonight – well, you saw them tonight, felt the tension between them."

"Yeah, Emily looked like she wished a big deep hole would open up under Mia's feet."

"So I just pray we can get through this dinner and the ceremony tomorrow without anything disastrous happening."

"Well, don't worry about my part. I'll be on my best behavior, _and_ I'll find the perfect song for tomorrow."

"Riiight," Luke drawled, seeing all of the potential pitfalls looming before him. "Plus it didn't help that Sookie didn't even show up tonight. Heaven knows what she finally decided to do about the cake."

"You knew Sookie wasn't going to be there," Liz pointed out, her voice soothing. "You knew she had to be at the Inn to start dinner service. She'll meet us later, in Hartford. And you know damn well any cake she makes is going to be spectacular and will taste like a dream. You don't need to worry about that."

"I gotta worry about something," Luke said quietly, talking mostly to himself.

But Liz heard. She reached over and laid her hand on his arm. "Luke…it's not something bigger that's worrying you, is it?"

"Bigger? What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're not worried about the actual getting married part, are you?"

It took a few seconds before Luke could comprehend what she meant. Then he took his eyes from the road, turning his head to stare at her, dumbstruck. "God, no!"

Liz slumped back in her seat, relieved. "Because if you didn't want to marry Lorelai, you'd need to have your head examined."

"Of _course_ I want to marry Lorelai!"

"Because she's the best thing that's ever happened to you."

"I know that! I know how lucky I am!" he insisted.

"Geez, even Stevie Wonder could see how happy she makes you!"

"She _does_ make me happy!"

"And the two of you are going to make bunches of beautiful babies!"

Automatically he began to protest, but then a sly smile curved along his mouth. "Yes, we are," he confirmed.

Liz cackled with laughter, delighted that her reserved brother had finally admitted it. A moment or two later, she reached over to pat his arm again. "Wouldn't Mom and Dad love it, seeing you this happy?"

He took his left hand off of the steering wheel and put it on top of Liz's. "Yeah, I think they would."

"I love seeing it too."

"Thanks, Liz." He patted her hand again.

During the remaining miles of the trip, Liz hummed softly to herself. It wasn't until they pulled into the country club entrance that she came to attention, sitting up and staring at the lavish landscaping. "This looks exactly like the sort of place someone with a stick up their butt would enjoy."

"Liz, stop it. Just help me get through this, please?"

"I will. I promise I'll be good. But why is this deal tonight so important to you?"

"Because I don't want anything to happen that's going to drive a bigger wedge between Lorelai and her folks. I don't expect everything to suddenly be all warm and fuzzy just because of the wedding, but I don't want to be responsible for anything that makes it worse, either. I just feel like this whole night's a minefield I have to tiptoe through in order to get to the wedding tomorrow."

"Ooh, like a quest! A final challenge to win the hand of your lady fair!"

Luke had to smile at her romantic take on it. "Something like that, I guess."

"Well, I'll help all I can. Tell you what, I won't get drunk – I won't even buy any pot off of the waiters."

"You'd better –!" Luke started to yell, but Liz had already hopped out of the truck and was heading over to meet Lorelai and the kids in front of the door.

He handed the keys to the valet and trudged up to the entrance too. "Hi," he said, leaning over to meet Lorelai in a kiss.

"Geez, you two, you just saw each other 30 minutes ago," Liz teased, pretending to put a hand over both Jess and Rory's eyes.

The door opened behind them. "Finally!" Emily Gilmore fumed. "I thought you'd forgotten we were meeting here."

"Mom, you know how long it takes to get from Stars Hollow to here. Unless we found some sort of wormhole in the time/space continuum, I don't think we could have traveled any faster," Lorelai pointed out.

"All I know is your grandmother is demanding to see you the second you get here." Emily shooed them through the door and down a hallway. "Honestly, she's the most impatient woman I've ever dealt with."

Lorelai gave Luke a sideways look, full of extra meaning.

"Lorelai!" someone called.

"Aunt Hope!" Lorelai veered off to give her aunt a warm hug.

"No, no, no!" Emily scolded, pulling them apart. "Never mind about Hope now. Your grandmother is waiting!"

Hope laughed. "I'll see you a little later in the dining room." She waved at Luke and Rory, and smiled at Jess. " _Bonsoir,_ _Élisabeth_ _!"_ she called out to Liz, in an exaggerated accent.

Liz cracked up. "Hey, Hope! How's it hangin'?"

"That's lovely," Emily sneered.

"No Rachel?" Hope questioned, looking down the hall to the entrance.

"Nope – she had something else going on," Lorelai said. She dropped her voice to a much lower level. "Obviously tequila didn't impair her smarts at all."

"My, that's a shame – the bartender is quite dishy," Hope revealed, her eyebrows waggling. Lorelai and Liz instantly started to giggle.

Emily exploded. "Your grandmother! Now!"

Hope realized Emily was at the end of her patience and started to move away.

"Wait!"

Hope turned around. Emily put a hand on Jess and Liz and pushed them a little towards Hope. "Take them with you. There's no need confusing things more with unnecessary people."

Hope raised her eyebrows and shook her head at her sister's thoughtless remark. "Hello, I'm Aunt Unnecessary," she announced to the area at large. "Let me show you where we unneeded folks can get some appetizers," she suggested to Liz and Jess.

"You know that's not what I meant!" Emily protested.

Liz just chortled, because as usual, nothing ever offended her. "Come on Jess," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder as they followed Hope down the hall. "Let's go eat some tiny food." She poked an elbow into Hope's side. "And you can show _me_ the bartender," she proposed.

"In here," Emily told them as soon as the others had moved away. She ushered them into a little alcove which was furnished as a sitting room. "Mom, here they are!"

"Yes, Emily, I can see that they are here." The black-clothed woman sitting on the couch scrutinized them all so closely that Luke expected her to take out one of those monocle things and put it in her eye.

She finally gazed only at Lorelai. "So this is Lorelai."

"Hi, Gran." Lorelai leaned over and gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek. "It's really good to see you again."

She continued to study Lorelai. "You have grown up."

Lorelai raised and lowered her hands along her body. "I have."

Her eyes went to the top of Lorelai's head. "You still have that hair, I see."

"Yeah, I think we're kind of a package deal by now."

Gran's focus turned to Rory. "And this is the child?"

"This is Rory, yes." Lorelai put her hand on Rory's waist and gently encouraged her to move forward, closer to the elderly lady.

"Rory?" Gran said the name distastefully. "What is a _Rory_? _Rory_ sounds like a name that would be given to some sort of furry woodland creature with sharp teeth."

At that, Rory curved her hands under her chin like paws, pulled back her lips and clicked her teeth together rapidly.

Gran fixed her with a stern look. "This one should sit by me, I believe. Obviously she has been raised by wild animals, even though she does not look like one."

Rory happily sat down next to Gran, apparently not fazed by the old lady's queenly demeanor and rigid standards.

"But I don't understand," Gran continued. "I thought her name was Lorelai, as it should be."

"Oh, it is!" Lorelai hastened to explain. "But I couldn't very well call her Lorelai too, because that was just too confusing. A flaw that I discovered as soon as the Demerol wore off. I was going to call her Lorry, l-o-r-r-y, but then I realized that was what you called a truck in England, and well, that didn't seem right, either."

"True," Gran conceded, inclining her head slightly.

"So then one day after about a dozen sleepless nights I accidentally called her Rory, and…I don't know, it just seemed to suit her."

Gran turned to examine Rory again. "Yes, I suppose it does. Rory she shall be."

"That's a relief," Rory said. "Since I'm kind of used to it after 12 years."

Gran looked at Rory sharply, but Luke thought there was just a hint of a curve to her mouth. "Obviously your mother has not taught you that children should be seen and not heard."

"Nope," Rory said, grinning. "That's definitely not a rule at our house."

Behind Luke, Emily sucked in a horrified breath, but Gran didn't seem to mind Rory's cheekiness.

"And this?" Gran said, fixating on Luke next. "This, I suppose, is the man?"

"Yes, yes, this is the man all right!" Lorelai wrapped her arm through his and pulled him forward. "Gran, this is the man who will be my husband tomorrow, Luke Danes."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Gilmore," Luke said, trying to not flinch as she examined him closely.

"I do not like the name 'Luke,'" she announced. "It's so abrupt. I shall call you Lucas."

Luke thought about protesting, but decided it wasn't worth the battle. "As you wish," he said instead.

"And you…cook? Is that it?"

"I run a diner, yes."

"It's the best place to eat in Stars Hollow," Rory informed her. "It might be the best place to eat anywhere, but since I haven't been hardly anywhere but Stars Hollow, I can't say that for certain."

That faint curve softened Gran's mouth again. "Maybe someday we'll have to see that your eating horizons are broadened, young lady."

"I'd like that, but…" Rory looked at Luke and smiled. "I still think I'll always like Luke's food the best."

"It appears you have a loyal patron, Lucas."

"The feeling is mutual," Luke said, smiling back at Rory.

Gran abruptly stood up. "We shall go into dinner now."

"Oh, but Mom –" Emily began to say.

"Emily, you have been telling me for the past ten minutes that you needed me seated at the table. Now you don't wish me to go?"

"Oh, no – that's not –" For once Emily looked flustered.

"You may escort me," Gran said, holding her arm out to Luke.

"I'd be delighted," he said formally, quenching his urge to click his heels and salute.

"This way," Emily sighed, and led them out of the alcove and down the hall to where the other guests were waiting.

As soon as they entered the private dining room, Richard leaped up and pulled out a chair at the head of the table for Gran.

"Well, Luke, what do you think? My mother is quite the woman, isn't she?" Richard said fondly, helping her to get settled in the chair.

"Richard, don't browbeat the young man. He is free to form his own opinion," Gran said calmly. She shook out her napkin and placed it in her lap.

"We're just happy that you're able to attend the wedding," Luke said, smiling gamely at Richard. "I know it means a lot to Lorelai, that you're here."

"Humph!" she said.

Luke went over to Lorelai and pulled out her chair. "I don't think I've ever actually heard anyone say _'humph'_ before," he whispered into her ear as he slid her chair in.

"I know! It's like she walked out of a Dickens' novel, isn't it?" Lorelai whispered back.

"Emily, I wish to have Rory seated next to me," Gran ordered.

"Oh, but…" Emily looked around the table helplessly. "The seating arrangements have all been made."

Gran beamed a steely-eyed gaze Emily's way. "I have been arranging dinner parties for many, many years. I know that the level of difficulty in moving two people at a table is minor indeed. Besides, we are a small party. I don't believe it will tax you overly much to do so."

"Of course," Emily acquiesced, with a strained smile. "Rory, come here and sit down, please."

"I think I like your grandmother," Luke whispered to Lorelai.

Lorelai snickered. "Yeah, she's pretty cool, huh? And it's kind of fun to see Emily Gilmore finally meet her match."

"I think I understand now why your dad is so good with your mom," Luke theorized.

"Oh wow, that makes perfect sense!" Lorelai shook her head. "Huh, why didn't I ever think of that?"

As soon as everyone had taken their seats, Richard stood up and gave a short speech of welcome. Since the Gilmores had invited some of their friends to join them, he also made sure that everyone at the table had been introduced.

Serving began and everyone was on their best behavior, chatting politely with the people next to them. Liz drank iced tea only and kept her replies brief, trying to catch Luke's eye when she felt he should be proud of her answer. Hope and Mia enjoyed getting to know each other, although Hope often stopped the conversation to gaze across the table at Lorelai. Gran talked mainly to Rory. Surprisingly, Ed and Richard fell into an involved talk about farm insurance. Sookie managed to walk in, apologize for her late entrance, and slip into her seat without setting her napkin on fire. And under the table, Luke held Lorelai's hand as much as he could, for a little added courage.

Towards the end of the entrée course, Gran suddenly singled out Jess. "This young man is most beautifully behaved. You should be proud of him," she proclaimed, staring at Liz.

Liz almost knocked over her glass of tea, but caught it and righted it just in time. "Oh, I know! I mean, I am!"

Luke noticed that Jess immediately looked over at Rory, a devilish glint in his eye. Rory ducked her head closer to her plate, hiding a smile.

"There's going to be a short break before the dessert," Richard announced. "Why don't you all take some time to mingle? The band is starting in the other room, if you feel like dancing." He held out his hand to Emily. "As a matter of fact, I think I'll ask my lovely bride for a dance right now."

Looking pleased for the first time all night, Emily stood up and walked over to where Richard was waiting.

Lorelai stood up too, moved behind Luke's chair, then bent down, putting her arms around his shoulders. "Come with me if you want to live," she ordered in her best Schwarzenegger.

"Dancing?" he winced.

"No, let's just get out of here for a little bit." She tugged impatiently on his arm.

She navigated them back to the same alcove where her grandmother had been holding court. She turned to face him, seeming nervous. She brushed her hands over his suit jacket, unnecessarily straightened his tie. "So…I have something for you."

" _Lorelai_ ," he said, sternly, giving her a quelling look. He knew better than to trust what she had in mind; her sense of privacy was sometimes sorely lacking.

"No, no!" she chuckled. "You get _that_ tomorrow night!" She opened her hand, and that was when he realized she had been holding a small silver-wrapped box. "I've got a wedding gift for you."

Before he could say anything, she rushed on. "I've had it for a while, and I thought I'd give it to you sooner, but then I got scared that maybe you wouldn't like it, and so I chickened out probably a dozen times, but since the wedding's tomorrow, I've run out of time. I have to give it to you now."

"Lorelai, I'm sure I'll love it. If it's from you, I guarantee I'll love it."

Apprehension was all over her face. "I hope so." She placed the box in his hand.

As soon as he got the wrapping off and opened the lid, she launched into an explanation. "Yeah, it's a tie clip. For a guy who never wears ties. I know that's crazy, but you're wearing a tie tomorrow, and sometimes we'll have to dress up, like tonight for example, and I just thought it would be a good thing to get you."

Luke turned the box and held it up, wanting to see the details more clearly.

"Jeremy helped me with it. I picked out a plain silver clip, and then I asked him to put a little opal in it." Lorelai tapped at the stone with her fingernail. "And then he had his engraver etch the lines around it, so it looked like a leaf."

"We'll match," Luke smiled, wondering if he should tell her how much that idea suited him. "I like it a lot."

"There's more," she said anxiously. "Turn it over."

Curious, Luke pulled the tie clip out of the elastic bands holding it in place and turned it over.

"See? It's your mother's initials up here," Lorelai explained in a rush. "And here's her birthdate. And this…this is our wedding date. Which is tomorrow," she finished up, finally taking a breath.

Luke stared down at the silver bar for a minute, letting the numbers dance in front of his eyes.

Lorelai gently circled her fingers around his left wrist. "I figured you'd be wearing your dad's watch tomorrow, so I thought you might like to have something with you to remind you of your mom, too."

He finally tore his gaze away from the tie clip, his eyes going to Lorelai's face. He opened his mouth, discovered he had no words, and so substituted a crushing hug instead.

"You like it?" she whispered happily.

"I love it. It's perfect." He released his hold enough so that he could see her face. "You're perfect," he added.

She snorted at that. "Look, Luke, since we're getting married and all tomorrow, I should probably let you in on a little secret. Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm far from perfect, buddy."

"Then…at least you're perfect for me." Smiling, he pulled her close again and kissed her forehead. "Which is the message so many people have been giving me tonight. Everyone wants to make sure I realize how lucky I am, to have you."

Tenderly, she cupped one hand against his face. "Ditto."

They shared a kiss, then Luke tapped against the clip that was currently holding his tie in place. "OK if I try out the new one tonight?"

Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "Want to try out the goods early, eh? You sure you'll still buy the cow if you get the milk for free?"

He rolled his eyes at her innuendo. "I've always hated that expression. It's ugly."

"Yeah, I agree," Lorelai said, shrugging her shoulders. "See what I mean about not being perfect? You'll just have to accept that sometimes stupid stuff comes out of my mouth when I'm trying to be funny."

"So tomorrow I should promise to love you in sickness and in health…and in stupidity?"

"That should cover all the bases!" she laughed. "Here, let me help." She took off the old clip so he could attach the new one, then studied the results. "That looks really nice," she said admiringly.

"Yeah?" He glanced down, confirming it. "I like it so much I don't even care that Jeremy had a hand in it." He took the old clip from Lorelai, put it in the box, then stowed it away in the pocket of his suit jacket.

"You can tell him that at the wedding tomorrow." Lorelai straightened his tie before taking a step back to judge the results.

Luke sighed, wishing that would have been one RSVP returned with regrets. "Listen…I've got something to give you, too."

"Why _Lucas_!" Lorelai simpered, her hands to her cheeks, pretending to be scandalized.

"Yeah, yeah…you'll get that tomorrow night, too."

"Promise?" she asked coquettishly.

"Just stay here and I'll go get it," he said, ignoring her insinuation the same way he normally did, nine times out of ten.

"Why? Where is it?" She took a few steps, following him.

"Out in the truck."

"I'll just come with you."

"No, no." He turned, putting his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "It's too cold. Just stay here and I'll bring it in. I won't be a minute."

"You realize you've already given me my wedding gift." She lifted the silver leaf from around her neck.

"And I said then you might get something else. I just wasn't sure when to give it to you, or if you'd like it…"

Lorelai laughed. "Sometimes we're more alike than we think."

"I guess we are at that. Just wait right here, all right?"

"Hurry!"

Chuckling at her impatience, he started down the hall towards the door, but then changed his mind, diverting to the dining room instead. He spotted Rory and walked briskly over to where she and Jess were standing, watching the musicians play.

"Rory, why don't you come with me for a minute or two? I'm going to give your mom her present."

Rory squealed and took a few steps towards him before stopping. "Wait. Can Jess come too?"

Luke was about to say no, because ideally he wanted this to be something shared just between the three of them, but then he saw the abandoned look on Jess's face and altered his plan. "Sure, why not?"

The kids skittered down the hall in front of him, and when he opened the heavy door to the outside, they ran to the truck, reaching it long before he did. They crossed their arms over their chests and hopped up and down, trying to keep warm.

"What is it?" Jess wanted to know, watching his uncle pull out a long, flat parcel, wrapped up in brown paper and tied with string, from the truck's bed.

"Luke made it!" Rory said, still giving little jumps of excitement as they began the return to the building.

"You helped," Luke reminded her.

Rory shrugged her shoulders at Jess. "Just a little."

Jess ran ahead and tugged open the door for them, and then Luke lead the way to where Lorelai was waiting.

"Ooh, it's big!" Lorelai exclaimed, spying the package. "And it brought out the looky-loos!" she added, seeing the kids following him.

"Open it, then I'll explain." Luke laid it on the low table in front of the loveseat, so that Lorelai could unwrap it. He was starting to get out his knife, but he forgot about Lorelai's ninja skills with presents. The brown paper went flying.

She went still, staring down at the wooden sign. "Oh… _Luke_!" she finally gasped out, thrilled.

Jess moved so he could read what was carved into the wood. "What's the Dragonfly?" he wanted to know.

"It's this inn that Mom's going to own someday," Rory told him.

At that, Lorelai's head shot up and she laughed ruefully. "Well, maybe. Someday. A long time from now." Her fingers traced over the letters and the carved dragonfly in the corner. "Luke, this is so beautiful."

Luke came close and slipped one arm around her waist, so that they could both look at his handiwork. "Rory helped me. That's why I thought she should be here when you opened it."

Lorelai gasped in amazement and turned to her daughter, but Rory was already shaking her head.

"I didn't do that much, Mom. It was all Luke. All I did was trace out the letters, and then I helped sand and stain a little bit."

"But I still love that you had a hand in this!" Lorelai insisted, breaking away from Luke to give Rory a hug.

"You guys made this?" Jess skeptically rapped a knuckle against the frame. "How in the world do you make something like this?"

"Luke could show you," Rory told him confidently.

"Uh…Yeah, I could," Luke confirmed, suddenly realizing that maybe he did have a way to bond with his nephew after all. "If you wanted, I could."

Jess looked away, but he nodded.

"What made you think of this?" Lorelai wanted to know, running her hands over the polished wood again.

"Well, I know how important that dream is to you, and even if it's pretty far off in the future, I don't want you to forget about it. And when the time comes, I want to help you in any way I can to make it come true. So I thought I'd start out with the sign, and the rest will come later."

Lorelai shook her head, overcome with the gift. Her fingers outlined some letters down in the corner. "Established…blank." Her eyes danced merrily at him. "Not even giving me a year to shoot for, huh?"

"Nope. Absolutely no pressure. I'll carve in the year when you're ready to open."

"Luke, this is just the best thing ever." She moved towards him. "Kids, kiss warning. Cover your eyes now or be grossed out."

She kissed him swiftly, mindful of their audience. "I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"Same here," he murmured back.

"No, no – you're supposed to say _'I know'_ " she reproved him. "OK, kids, coast is clear."

"Grandma probably wonders where we all are," Rory pointed out, blinking as the light hit her eyes.

"That's probably true," Lorelai sighed.

"Let's leave this here, for now," Luke suggested, hiding the sign back behind the loveseat. "We'll pick it up on our way out." He crumpled up the wrapping paper and found a trashcan to put it in.

"I suppose you knew about this, too," Luke said to Rory as they moved down the hallway, tapping against his new tie clip.

"Of course I did."

"Good thing you can keep a secret."

"Yes, lucky for you I'm a very good secret-keeper!" Rory agreed, and skipped ahead to where Jess was holding open the door for them again.

"There you are!" Emily scolded, as soon as they stepped back into the dining room. "We're ready to serve dessert, but we could hardly do that with the guests of honor off doing God knows what."

"Mom, we had the kids with us," Lorelai pointed out, retaking her seat.

"Well…I suppose that's true. But you still don't disappear while you have guests waiting on you!" She swirled around, clapping her hands at the servers waiting, their backs against the wall. "Proceed now, please!"

The sorbet was tartly refreshing, and the wafer-thin cookies served with it nearly melted in his mouth. As desserts went, it was pretty good.

The rest of the night wasn't terrible, either. Once dessert was finished, Richard again invited everyone to dance, or to mingle and enjoy themselves.

Luke decided that having Lorelai in his arms, swaying gently to the soft music on the dance floor, pausing occasionally to accept congratulations from people he didn't know, wasn't the worst way to spend an evening. In fact, it was one of the most pleasant nights he'd ever enjoyed while wearing a suit and tie.

That pleasing interlude ended with a firm tap on his arm. He turned to see Lorelai's grandmother scowling at him.

"Lucas, I wish to talk to you. You will walk with me around the dance floor."

Lorelai tried to stifle a giggle. "Guess we've slipped backwards from Dickens to Jane Austen now," she whispered into his ear. "Here, Gran, he's all yours. Just don't wear him out," she then said playfully, out loud. She waved and backed away, before heading towards Ed Tallman to see if she could tease him into dancing with her.

Once again Luke offered his arm, and Gran took it with a nod. Slowly they navigated the room to the perimeter, where Gran indicated that they should make a circuit around the dancers and the tables.

"I wish to know what is this Dragonfly?"

Startled, Luke looked down at her. "How do you know about the Dragonfly?"

Her eyelids hooded her eyes and she frowned severely at him. "There is not much that escapes my notice, Lucas. If we are to be somehow be knitted together as a family, it's best you learn that now."

"Yes ma'am," he said automatically, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Now explain to me what is going on. What exactly is… _The Dragonfly_?" Her voice deepened as she voiced the title, making it seem serious and teasing at the same time.

Luke looked at her sharply, not knowing how to read her at all. Briefly he summed up what he knew about the history of the property and recounted how they'd stumbled upon it last fall after picking apples. He kept to himself that the only reason they saw it in the first place was because Rory had gotten lost.

"I see. So this building is in ruin?"

Luke shrugged, guiding Gran around an electrical cord leading to the musical group. "I haven't seen inside, but it looks rough enough from the outside. It's probably been vacant for 20, 25 years."

"But yet Lorelai wishes to purchase it? Isn't that foolish?"

Again, Luke shrugged. "This isn't something she's looking to do right now. She wants to take classes first, get her business degree. Plus, she's happy working for Mia; she loves the Independence Inn. You know, she's still learning the business, so striking out on her own isn't in the cards at all right now. This is just a dream she's got, that's all. A future goal, I guess you'd say."

"There are no immediate plans to do this?"

"None whatsoever."

Gran raised her eyebrows, showing her disbelief. "Lucas, come now. You have put untold hours into crafting a sign for a business that may never be?"

"How did you –" He cut off his words when she nailed him with that same all-knowing look again. "We couldn't do it now, no matter what. We don't have the resources, or finances, or time…or even the _knowledge_ yet. I gave Lorelai the sign because it's her dream, and I wanted her to remember that I support her in it. Even if it's something that can't happen until after Rory finishes college, I don't want her to lose sight of it. I wanted her to have a physical reminder, something she could see every day, something to sort of encourage her, I guess."

"You mention Rory and college."

Luke nodded, wondering where else the conversation was headed.

"Richard says that Rory is a brilliant student, as all Gilmores are."

"Top of her class."

"College is expensive, especially Yale. Or _Harvard_ ," she acknowledged, bitterness tinging the word.

"We're well aware of that. Lorelai and I are putting money aside, and hope to have some more income soon to add to it."

"You're willing to fund her college expenses? Even though the girl is not yours?"

Luke stopped abruptly. He dropped her arm and turned to face her. He took a ragged breath before he started to speak, wishing he could better prepare what words were going to come out, but he had no option to wait. He had to refute what she'd just said to him.

"It's true that I missed the first ten years of Rory's life, but you'd better hear me when I say she is as precious to me as if my name was on her birth certificate. I'm in her life now. I will…I will _always_ be in her life. If she needs me, if there's anything I can do for her, ever, no matter what…I'll be there for her. For you to insinuate that just because I'm technically not her father I wouldn't support her – well, let's just say you don't know me at all. You don't have a clue what Lorelai and I have together. You don't understand how important Rory is to both of us. And you can drop this all-knowing, all-seeing crap, because you've just shown me you don't know squat."

He was ready to stomp off but Gran caught his arm, with a rather strong grip for an old lady. "My goodness, Lucas, you are quite the feisty one, aren't you?"

"Let go of me," he warned.

"Here I thought you were the mild-mannered one, to balance out Lorelai's wild impulsiveness. How will your home life survive the tumult you two will surely manufacture in the years to come?" He wasn't positive, but Gran seemed to be almost smiling.

"We've already learned how to balance each other out," he muttered. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Hmm, I suppose it's not, now that you mention it." She definitely smiled that time, although it was fleeting. "I am fatigued. You may take me back to my seat now."

"Wow, what was that about?" Lorelai wanted to know, when he got back to her. "It looked like you were ready to take her head off."

"I'll tell you after we're safely married," Luke replied. "I don't want you to ditch me at the altar because I ticked off your grandmother."

Lorelai leaned around him, studying Gran. "I don't know, Luke. She doesn't look ticked off. She looks happy, if you ask me."

He put both of his hands on her shoulders, making her focus on him. "Your family is _weird."_

That made Lorelai laugh. "I tried to warn you, but you insisted on marrying me anyway."

"I just didn't realize it went back generations."

Lorelai's laugh trilled out again. "Come on, dance with me some more before you get sucked into the weirdness with the multitude of crazy Gilmores. But first –" Lorelai looked around, locating the bar. "Let's get you a drink. Good strong booze helps to ease some of that craziness."

"Just remember I have to drive home. So do you," he pointed out.

"Relax. I didn't say we were getting drunk, we're just letting a little whiskey smooth over the edges a bit. Plus…" She turned his wrist over, looking at the time. "We've probably still got another hour, at least, before we can escape."

They ended up sharing a drink, dancing some more, and accepting more good wishes and teasing from the people in attendance. When at last the evening was over, they gathered their coats and the kids, the sign too, and with straight faces, thanked the Gilmores for a wonderful night. Luke only nodded curtly at Lorelai's grandmother.

"See you tomorrow!" almost everyone said, as they were waiting for their cars to be brought around. Mia and Hope dispensed hugs, and even Ed patted their shoulders when he passed them at the entrance, ignoring the valets as he ambled out to find his pickup on his own.

Luke opened the door of the truck for Liz and Jess, then he went he back to Lorelai's car, to say goodnight to her and Rory.

"You're sure we have to do it this way?" he complained, leaning down to the driver's seat to kiss his bride-to-be one last time.

"Why? Can't sleep without me?" she teased.

"Probably not," he grumbled.

"Aww, poor baby." She brought his face down and kissed him again. "I'll see you at the church," she said, breathing in sharply when she heard what she'd said. "Oh my God – I will. The next time I see you…we'll be ready to get married."

"Well, that's _my_ plan," he said dryly, straightening up.

From the seat next to Lorelai, Rory chuckled. "Did you forget that, Mom?"

"No, I just…wow. It's here." Lorelai looked stunned.

"Guess we should have done that advent calendar thing after all," Luke commented.

"No, um – I'm good. Ready to march down that aisle!" She turned to Luke, her eyes twinkling. "And on Steven Tyler's long lanky locks, I swear I'm not gonna miss a thing!"

"Me neither, minus the Steven Tyler part." Luke stepped away from the car. "Goodnight, girls. Sleep tight."

When he climbed into the truck, Liz looked especially blissful, making him wonder if he should have been keeping a closer eye on her. "You OK?" he asked hesitantly, putting the truck in gear.

"I'm great, Bro." She leaned across Jess, so she could pat his knee, smiling widely. "I just thought of the perfect song. I don't know why I didn't think of it before, it's been staring me right in the face the whole time."

"Liz, I'm warning you, if it's anything Aerosmith –"

"It's not," she said, but she'd reveal nothing more. She alternately laughed and hummed an indistinguishable tune the rest of the way to Stars Hollow, driving Luke – and Jess – crazy.

And Luke couldn't decide if Danes crazy was better than Gilmore crazy or not.


	11. Wedding Bell Bliss, Part 1

Luke woke up to the sound of wedding bells.

With his eyes still closed, he started to smile. What a great omen for the rest of the day.

But pretty soon he remembered that the church bells hadn't been active in years. In fact, he'd had a hand in nudging them into retirement. So if it wasn't bells he was hearing, what was it?

Turned out his wedding-obsessed brain had mistaken the chiming of the alarm clock for bells. He sat up, perched on the edge of the bed – the one that now seemed _so_ tiny – and turned the noise off. He was amazed he'd been able to sleep as soundly as he had, what with his old place now feeling so unfamiliar, missing Lorelai, and the looming anticipation/anxiety of the day to come. But slept he had. He was somehow oddly disappointed that he'd missed out on the chance to savor the last hours leading up to their wedding day.

Going to the window, he beheld the beginning of a picture-perfect Indian summer day. The sky was a deep, clear blue and the trees were all blazing with color. It was as if Emily Gilmore had bribed some honcho at the Weather Channel to ensure her daughter's wedding would benefit from the ideal atmospheric conditions.

Luke got dressed and went downstairs to make himself some breakfast. He had to; there was nothing left in his kitchen to eat. He'd planned to enjoy a hearty breakfast since he didn't know exactly how the rest of the day might play out, but once he started looking at food he became aware of the butterflies dancing around his stomach. Plain toast and a mug of tea suddenly seemed like a much better idea.

The other thing he hadn't anticipated was how much attention his presence in the diner on the morning of his wedding would draw. Soon he'd had his fill of good wishes and slightly ribald jokes. He fixed that by turning Larry out of the kitchen and doing the cooking himself. All he had to do was make it through to 3 o'clock, at which point the diner was closing to regular patrons to allow the crew from Sniffy's to take over.

He was scraping down the griddle when he became aware of shouts and reverberating thunks from a sledgehammer hitting its target. Curious, he ventured to the dining room windows and saw that the large white tent for the reception was being hoisted into place on the green.

Luke immediately went out to lend a hand.

"What are you _doing!?"_ Appalled, a man in a hard hat waved a clipboard at him, trying to shoo him out of harm's way.

"This is my tent," Luke tried to explain. "I'm getting married today and –"

"No, no, no, no!" The man said, very firmly.

"But I thought –"

"Have you ever put up a tent before?"

"No, but it's always looked like it'd be fun to –"

"No, it's not. It's not fun. It's hard work and my guys are trained as a team. Plus, they're all covered by the company's insurance. You're not."

Since Luke had used that excuse many times to keep nosy people from coming behind the counter at the diner, he really couldn't protest.

"Look, you're welcome to watch, just stay out of the way, OK?"

Luke nodded, stuffed his hands into his pockets and took a couple of steps back from the activity.

The foreman started to leave, but turned and pointed the clipboard at him once more. "You're the one getting married?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, you'll have a different type of fun waiting for you tonight, won't you?" Briefly, the guy grinned at him. "And your bride will thank me for not letting you get hurt."

Luke forced a smile and nodded, but under his breath he grumbled, "I wouldn't have gotten hurt."

For the next hour he circled around the green, watching the tent take shape. The crew was either extremely skilled or also under the influence of an Emily Gilmore bribe, because in what seemed to be record time the walls were up, the dance floor was down, and chairs and tables were being hauled in. It was almost as if there was a bonus dangling before them if they completed their job quickly enough.

The Gilmores had finally worn Lorelai down about the reception. After much haggling she'd agreed that they could supply the tent, the music, and the bar.

"They just don't want to look cheap in front of their friends," Lorelai complained. But Luke thought that they also wanted to feel like they were a part of the celebration; that they'd had a hand in their daughter's wedding day.

He was sidelined into a corner of the tent, watching electrical cables being strung for lights and the band, when arms he'd know anywhere snaked around his waist.

"Hey, hot stuff," a sultry voice whispered into his ear. "How about we have one last roll in the hay before marriage forever ties me down?"

"Hmm, tempting," he pondered, "but my fiancée would probably kill me."

"Darn," Lorelai sighed. "Same here. Except _my_ fiancé would actually kill _you_."

"Then we'd better not chance it."

"You're right. Right."

He patted her hands, which were clasped over his waist. "If I turn around, is it bad luck?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned."

He pivoted and quickly landed a kiss on her lips. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are, making sure it all looks good."

"It does, right?" He then pointed to the center of the structure, stunned to see several workers pulling on ropes. "Whoa…is that…a chandelier?"

"Trust Emily Gilmore to find a way to fancy up a tent." Lorelai sighed, but didn't exactly look repulsed. "I just hope they don't hold this over our heads for the next decade. I can hear it now: 'Lorelai, why _can't_ you have Thanksgiving here? After all, we _did_ pay for most of your wedding reception.'"

Luke put his arm around her shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. "Well, I think this is all too much, but they do seem genuinely happy to be providing this for you."

"For us," she corrected.

"For you," he insisted. "And I'm fine with that. I get the feeling that this is helping to settle some sort of score with them. Like by doing this it's taking away some of the guilt they've had about not helping you during the last 10 years."

"I didn't want their help!"

"I know that, but…I think they regret not being able to give it, anyway."

"Eh, whatever." Lorelai slowly revolved, taking in the whole of the reception space, and when she got back to facing Luke, her eyes were sparkling. "It does look pretty spectacular though, doesn't it?"

"It does," he agreed, reaching out to touch her cheek. He knew what he thought looked spectacular, and it wasn't the tent.

"Come dance with me," she wheedled, pouncing on him.

"What? No! Are you crazy?"

"Come on," she laughed, trying to drag him to the dance floor. He put on a token resistance for a few moments, but soon allowed her to pull him to the parquet squares, as they both knew he would.

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. She began to hum what could have been "Eternal Flame."

Suddenly she stopped clowning around and looked straight into his eyes. "Luke…I'm _so_ happy."

"Me too." He maneuvered his arms a little tighter around her frame.

Light flashed off to the side and they both stopped to look in that direction.

"Sorry," Rachel said sheepishly, lowering her camera. "I couldn't resist."

"Now I'm embarrassed," Lorelai said, pulling away from Luke.

"No, don't be," Rachel asserted. "It was adorable, a completely candid moment. And tonight I'll take one of you dancing in your gown and tux – it will be great to put the two together as a contrast. But I'm sorry I interrupted you. I'll get out of the way and let you get back to your dance." She smiled and waved, beginning to duck back out under the canvas.

"Rachel, wait." Lorelai took a couple of steps towards her, looking indecisive. "I probably shouldn't even bring this up, but I keep wondering…" She glanced nervously over at Luke, then looked down at her feet. "Are you sure you're OK, doing this?"

"Doing…what?" Rachel asked, confused. She looked around the tent, as if there was possibly something she should be helping with.

Lorelai hauled in a huge breath. "The taking pictures thing. Of…us. Today."

Rachel stared at Lorelai for several long moments before a smile began to break across her face. "Do you think that I'm pining away over this guy or something?"

Lorelai didn't smile back. "I just keep thinking, that if the situation was reversed, you couldn't pay me enough, not even by offering me free unlimited coffee refills for life, to be here. And we're not paying you, not in bartered goods, not in anything; you're just doing this out of the goodness of your heart – I mean, I guess that's what's motivating you. I don't know, I don't understand why you'd want to do this at all. And I worry that expecting you to be able to do this is just too…mean. Too cruel."

Luke held his breath. This was definitely not a conversation he wanted to be a part of on the morning of his wedding.

Rachel seemed to understand how he was feeling. She smiled at him and then winked, before turning her attention back to Lorelai.

"Lorelai, I appreciate your concern, but seriously – the situation could never be reversed. It's been obvious since the first time I saw the two of you together that this is the way it's supposed to be. I'll admit, it's a little bittersweet, seeing him getting ready to marry someone else. But if I'm being honest, he _never_ looked at me the way he was just looking at you. And to be _brutally_ honest…" She glanced over at Luke again, apologetically. "I never looked at him the way _you_ do, either."

"So…you really are OK, then." Lorelai's tense shoulders relaxed.

"If I didn't sincerely want to do this, I wouldn't have offered," Rachel reiterated. "And I will say this. I'll always have enough affection for Luke that it pleases me to see him happy. He's been a good friend to me for a long, long time, and I'd hate to miss such an important day in his life. Also, I have enough pride in my work that I wouldn't trust anyone else to take these pictures. They'll be important to you for the rest of your lives, and I want to make sure they're done right." She looked between Luke and Lorelai. "We're good?"

Luke caught Lorelai's eye and could see she was satisfied with what Rachel had said. "We're good," he confirmed. "Thank you, Rachel. This is incredibly generous of you."

"My pleasure, truly." She fiddled a little bit with the camera lens. "It's a beautiful day, you two are almost too pretty together to be believed, and you both have just enough weird relatives to liven up the obligatory shots. There might be a tear or two shed when you actually say 'I do…'" She sighed. "But I'm going to have fun today. Trust me."

"I do trust you," Lorelai said simply.

Rachel's head reared back a bit, as if she hadn't been expecting to hear that. "Um…thanks, Lorelai. I…I'm relieved to know that."

Lorelai nodded. "You're welcome," she said quietly.

"So, uh, I'm going to get out of your tent…" Rachel started backing away, "…and out of your hair, for now. Lorelai, I'll see you about 3, at your suite at the Inn, to take some shots of you getting ready."

"Sounds good."

Rachel smiled at each of them in turn. "And my final advice: don't be nervous. This is going to be a beautiful wedding."

They both continued to watch the tent flap, even after Rachel had disappeared through it.

"I can see why you fell in love with her," Lorelai said softly, leaning against Luke.

He rubbed her back, his head dipping down to rest against hers. "It seems crazy to me that we expect the word 'love' to mean so many things. Because the way I felt about her, and the way I feel about you – it's like being on two different continents, Lorelai."

"If we're talking about words, do you mean consonants?" she teased.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do." She reached to pull his face down, gave him a quick kiss. "But I'm glad you had such a nice girlfriend to start out with. And I'm also glad she's gone now," she admitted with unabashed glee.

"I'm just glad I found you," he said, returning the kiss.

"Geez, you two, get a room," the tent supervisor sourly advised, walking past them.

"We do have a room," Lorelai grandly informed him, not at all flustered that he'd witnessed them smooching. "We've got the honeymoon suite at the Independence Inn."

The supervisor stopped and looked at Lorelai appraisingly. "This is the bride?" he asked Luke.

Luke nodded curtly, wondering why the guy thought he'd be kissing anyone else on his wedding day.

The foreman grinned broadly at him. "See? Aren't you glad I stopped you from getting hurt, since this is what you've got waiting for you?" Snickering, he went on his way.

Lorelai looked at Luke in concern. "You were going to get hurt?"

"No, I –" Not wanting to explain, he merely shook his head.

She let it pass and continued on. "So, hey, the real reason I came over here, before the tent distracted me, was to see if you wanted me to take your stuff over to the Inn so you don't have to do it later."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. You want to come with me, help me pack?" Luke suggested as they exited the tent and started across what open space was left of the green.

Lorelai took a calculated look at the diner. "How many people are in there, ready to gab about the wedding?"

Luke sighed. "Half the town."

"I think I'll just wait in the car then," Lorelai said sensibly, leaning against the fender.

"Proving yet again I got the smart one," Luke said. He stepped into the diner and ran the gauntlet of comments as he crossed the room, most of them either teasing him for not being able to stay away from Lorelai for even part of a day, or voicing concern that he'd brought doom down upon their heads for seeing his bride before the actual wedding.

He'd packed everything he needed to spend the lonely night in his old apartment in a small duffle bag. Now he put everything back into it, added a nicer pair of jeans and a fresh shirt for tomorrow, and zipped it back up. He went downstairs, closed his ears to the fresh wave of comments, and walked as quickly as possible back to where Lorelai was waiting.

"Was I right?" Lorelai asked, opening the car's rear door so he could stow his bag inside.

"You were so right." He put his arms around her, loosely, preparing to say goodbye. "Thank Mia again for letting us use the honeymoon suite."

"You can tell her yourself in a few hours."

"It was nice of her, offering it to us."

"She wanted us to have someplace special to go to tonight, since there's no honeymoon right now."

"We'll do that later," Luke promised.

"Oh, you bet we will, mister." She poked his chest, making her point a physical one.

"Also nice that Mia's going to take Rory home with her after the reception," Luke added, hugging her a little closer to him.

"Well, let's face it. Mia's been like a second mother to both of us." As soon as she said it, Lorelai quickly looked over her shoulder. "If you ever repeat that to my actual mother, I will deny I ever said it and throw you to the wolves."

"Noted."

"So." Lorelai sighed and hugged him as tightly as she could. "I guess this is it."

"It is." He hugged her back, shutting his eyes as her familiar contours fitted into their proper places against him.

She stepped back a small amount. "I'll see you at the church," she said solemnly.

"I'll see you there, sweetheart." He kissed her tenderly, and was surprised to see an impish grin on her face when he pulled away. "What?" he asked suspiciously.

"Usually you only call me sweetheart when you're feeling all warm and fuzzy." She continued to grin. "Usually when we're in bed. Usually right after we've –"

He shut her up with another kiss. "Go, before I change my mind about the whole thing."

"You're not gonna change your mind." She was still grinning as she got in the car and started it up. "Because you looove me, you're gonna marry me…" she shouted back at him in a singsong voice, pulling away.

He shook his head, waving once as she drove down the street. "Damn right," he stated.

* * *

About one o'clock Liz appeared in the diner, Jess in tow. "Hey, Luke, OK if Jess hangs out here with you?"

"Yeah, I suppose," he said with a shrug. "Where will you be?"

"Lorelai invited me to meet her and Sookie at the hairdressers. We're going to get all dolled up for the wedding."

"Sure," he agreed. He noted that Jess had on dress pants, a long-sleeved shirt with a tie, and his sometimes unruly hair was slicked back. "He's all ready to go, huh?"

"Yep, and he's got a book, so he'll be no trouble." Liz turned to go. "Thanks, bro."

Suddenly Liz's words came back to him and he dashed to intercept her at the door. "Wait. You said the hairdressers?"

"Yeah." Liz reached around him for the door handle, impatient to go.

"Lorelai's getting her hair done?"

"Well, sure, it's her wedding. All brides get their hair done, dummy."

"No, Liz, wait, you don't understand." He blocked her path to the door again. "What's she having done with it? She promised me she'd wear her hair down."

He could tell Liz wanted to laugh at him, but she tried to hide her amusement. "Then I'm sure she will, Luke, but she wants to look nice. She wants to look special. The hairdresser will make her look extra-gorgeous for you, OK?"

Reluctantly he stepped aside, letting her get to the door. "Just…remind her, if you need to, all right?"

"All right," she laughed, shaking her head. "I'll remind her."

When he turned back towards the counter, Jess was regarding him warily. "Seriously, dude – you care how she wears her hair?" the boy asked doubtfully.

Luke stuck his chin out and pulled out a phrase he remembered from his youth. "You'll understand when you're older," he told Jess loftily. Then he pretended not to hear Jess's snickers.

* * *

" _Where's the groom?"_

From his safe place back in the kitchen, Luke heard Maisie's shout. Chuckling to himself, he went out into the dining room to meet his replacements, wiping his hands on a towel as he went.

"Should've known you'd be working up until the last possible minute," Maisie complained, shaking her head at Luke.

"Big day, Luke," Buddy commented in his quiet way, but a huge smile lit up his face. He offered a handshake in congratulations.

"That it is." Maisie tackled him with a hug as soon as he finished clasping Buddy's hand. "You can all clear out now. We're taking over," she announced after the hug. "Shoo."

Luke stayed out of the way while a stream of Sniffy's workers carried in boxes and bags and followed Maisie's instructions on where to put them. Once everyone seemed settled, he turned the sign to "Closed" and added a handmade sign underneath it, courtesy of Rory and Lane.

 _Closed for the wedding!_

 _Please join Mr. & Mrs. Danes in the square this evening to celebrate!_

The sign was drenched in glitter. Not his usual style, but he'd promised the girls he'd put it up. And he had to admit, seeing the 'Mr. & Mrs. Danes' part made him grin like a fool.

In the midst of checking things off a list, Maisie paused in front of the table where Jess was still reading. "Sorry, sonny, time to skedaddle."

Jess stood up, closing his book. "Luke, where do you want me to go now?"

"You can just come upstairs with me while I get ready," Luke said casually.

Maisie took note then. "Why? Who is this?" Before Luke could answer she took a closer look and figured it out on her own. "Oh my lord! Is this Jess?"

"This is Jess," Luke confirmed, while Jess nodded.

Maisie's face suddenly wrinkled up and she blinked furiously. She dove to the other side of the table and enveloped Jess in the same sort of tackling hug she'd bestowed upon Luke earlier. At first Jess looked alarmed, but slowly he relaxed, finally giving into Maisie's determined affection and allowing himself to be cuddled.

"Jess, I'm sorry." Maisie pulled back. She raised her glasses, wiped her eyes, and then settled the glasses on her nose again. "I shouldn't have invaded your personal space like that, but I'm just so happy to see you again. Buddy and I…" She suddenly looked around. "Buddy!" she yelled. "Buddy, get out here!"

"What?" Buddy poked his head back into the dining room.

"Come over here and say hello to Lizzie's boy!"

Buddy smiled broadly and crossed the room. Jess looked a little unsure about the hand reaching out to him, but soon figured out he was meant to shake it. Once the shake was done, Buddy put his hand lightly on top of Jess's head. "This is the same head of hair you've had since the day you were born."

Jess thought about what Buddy had said, then shyly smiled back.

"Anyway," Maisie continued, "This is Buddy, and I'm Maisie, and we were real, real good friends of your grandma and grandpa. We watched Luke grow up, and your mother, too. It's quite a day for us, to see you again."

Jess nodded, unsure about how to reply.

"Where is Liz?" Maisie wanted to know.

"With Lorelai, getting her hair done," Luke answered.

"Well, I'll look forward to seeing her later. I suppose she's still 100% Lizzie?"

"Without a doubt," Luke confirmed, and Jess grinned in understanding at that remark.

Buddy pointed at his watch. "Luke, I know it doesn't take as long for us good looking guys to get ready, but still, you'd better get going."

"Yeah, we'd better head upstairs. Come on, Jess. And thanks, you two, again, for doing all of this for us."

"We're looking forward to it," Buddy said.

"Oh, and we did change the menu a little bit," Maisie added. "We're doing roast beef now instead of that chicken dish."

"And soup instead of salad," Buddy mumbled, heading back to the kitchen.

"You don't mind, right?" Maisie asked perfunctorily.

"Would've been disappointed otherwise." Happily shaking his head at their typical last minute deviations, Luke started upstairs.

* * *

Looking in the mirror, Luke could see that Jess was monitoring him as he was getting ready. To his surprise, he found that having Jess in the apartment with him was having a calming effect on his nerves.

"Nobody knows me in New York," Jess suddenly commented.

"Nobody does? That can't be right. I mean, you've got friends, don't you? Classmates? Teachers?"

"I don't mean that." Jess got out of the chair and ambled over to where Luke was standing in front of the dresser. "I mean, nobody knows me from before. Mom and I move around a bunch, so the people I see only know me from now. Nobody remembers me as a little kid."

"Ah," Luke said, fumbling with a cufflink. He was a little astonished – and pleased – that Jess was initiating a conversation. He kept that surprise off of his face though; he didn't want to scare Jess off.

"But those people downstairs –"

"Maisie and Buddy," Luke supplied.

"I guess they knew me when I was a baby, right?"

"You bet. In fact, I think it was probably Maisie who first showed your mom how to give you a bath in the sink."

"Well, that's not embarrassing at all," Jess muttered.

"Hey, join the club. I'm sure Maisie could tell similar stories about me. Your mom, too."

Jess watched in the mirror as he put the tie around his neck. "And that other lady, the one who owns Lorelai's inn."

Luke smiled at how the Independence had become _Lorelai's inn_ in his eyes. "Mia."

"Yeah, Mia. She has stories about Mom growing up too, and was saying stuff about me when I was a baby."

"Right, Mia and her husband, and Maisie and Buddy, they all grew up in Stars Hollow with your grandparents, my parents. They were all really good friends, and looked after each other's kids, had barbecues together – you know, all that kind of stuff."

"Even that lady taking the pictures says she knew me when I was a baby."

"Rachel, yeah." Luke tore the knot out of the tie and started over again. "Does your mom still have that one picture on her dresser, the one of her holding you right after you were born? It's a black and white one."

Jess momentarily looked startled that Luke knew about that picture. "Yeah, she does."

"Well, Rachel took that picture."

"Why did she do that?"

Luke chuckled. "What do you mean, why?"

"I mean, why was she there when I was born?"

Luke took a deep breath. It wasn't so funny now. "She was there because she was my girlfriend at the time. She came to the hospital with me and my dad the night we waited for you to be born."

He watched the gears turning in Jess's head. "She was your girlfriend?"

Luke nodded.

"And now she's taking pictures of you marrying Lorelai?"

Luke nodded again.

"How does _that_ work?" Jess wanted to know, genuinely confused.

"It was a long time ago," Luke said, searching for a way to explain it. "And things change, and Rachel wanted different things than what I did, and…Well, we just grew apart."

"And then you met Lorelai?"

"Then I met Lorelai."

Jess seemed to mull that over. "And nobody hates each other?"

"Nobody hates each other."

Jess stared at him in the mirror again. "Huh."

Luke had a feeling that wasn't the way his mother's break-ups had gone, but he wasn't about to ask.

"Anyway," Jess said, looping back to the start of his conversation. "It's kind of weird, but still nice, having people around who've known you for a long time. Sort of makes you feel like you're…part of the group, or something."

"Yeah, it is kind of nice. Sometimes Stars Hollow drives me nuts, because it's so tiny and everybody always knows everybody else's business…but you can't say you don't belong when you live here. It's kind of like one big, crazy family."

Luke finally got his tie looking the way he wanted it to. He pulled out the new clip and positioned it carefully on the deep blue silk.

"What's that?"

"This? It's a tie clip."

"But what's it for?"

"To…" Luke suddenly realized he wasn't exactly sure why guys used tie clips. "It holds your tie together. Keeps it from flapping into your soup."

"Oh." Jess looked down at his own tie, the ends free to flap about as they pleased.

"Lorelai gave me this one last night, as a gift for our wedding. But you know what…?" Luke opened a small drawer on the dresser and pulled out the clip he'd used last night. "This one belonged to my dad, your grandfather. Would you like to wear it?" He passed it over to Jess, who examined the scalloped gold bar and then nodded.

Luke showed him how to anchor the clip to his shirt and how to catch the two tails of the tie and hold it together. "You know, if you wanted, you could keep that," Luke suggested nonchalantly, not wanting to make a big deal about it.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, absolutely. I'd like you to have something that was your grandfather's."

Jess tentatively fingered the gold bar. "Then…thanks."

"You're welcome." It took three tries, but Luke finally got his increasingly clumsy fingers to strap his dad's watch to his wrist. He reached for the jacket of the tux. "I'm going to be ready to go in just a few minutes. Are you set to walk over to the church?"

Jess stopped rubbing his finger over the tie clip and moved back to the table, where he picked up the book he'd been reading and put it into a small backpack. "I am now."

"OK, then…" Luke walked to the apartment's door, then took one last look around. "Let's go."

A wolf whistle pierced the air as they walked across the floor of the dining room. Luke wondered how many times in his life he'd heard that shrill noise come out of Maisie's pursed lips.

"My, my, my. Don't you look handsome?" she said approvingly, walking over to meet them. She got up on her tiptoes to reach his shoulders, pretending to brush away nonexistent lint. "Lorelai's gonna swoon when she sees you."

"That's not the intention. I need her on her feet to walk down the aisle."

"She's going to _run_ down the aisle, lucky girl that she is."

"Thanks, Maisie." He gave her a swift hug. "We'd better get over there."

"Say, Luke, is it OK if Buddy and I use your apartment to get changed?" She ran her hands over her long chef's apron, covering an old flowered shirt and jeans. "We need to get dolled up too, you know. Don't want to shame you in front of Lorelai's Hartford society folks."

"No danger of that, ever." Luke pulled the keyring out of his pocket. "Here, I can't remember if I locked it or not, but it's all yours."

"Off you go, Lucas. We'll see you at the church." Maisie patted his back affectionately and gave him a gentle push towards the door.

"See you there," Luke tried to say, but it felt like marbles had suddenly materialized in his mouth. He hoped the feeling would disappear before it was time to repeat his vows.

Out in the street, he put a hand on Jess's shoulder, less because Jess needed adult supervision to get to the church than because Luke needed someone to lean on. It took them only a few minutes to walk to the church through the warmth of the late fall afternoon.

"Look at you two!" Rachel was also heading into the church, but she stopped to admire them. "Don't you two just look ador –" Seeing the disgruntled looks on both of their faces, she swiftly changed her gushing words. "You look…clean. Nice and…clean. How about a picture of the well-groomed Danes men?"

"I'm not a Danes," Jess muttered.

"What if we said you're an honorary one today?" Rachel suggested. Jess shrugged, then nodded.

"Then it's agreed." She looked around at their surroundings. "Here, let's have you stand right in front of the church steps." She quickly pushed and pulled to get them into the pose she wanted, then stepped back, bringing the camera up to her eye. "And Jess, whatever you do, don't smile, OK? I want this one to be a really serious shot. A smile would absolutely ruin the whole dark and brooding thing you guys do so well."

Jess had been scowling, but as soon as she said that, a small smile struggled onto his face.

"No, no, no!" she admonished him. "No smiling! Think of something disgusting! Like…your uncle's stinky feet."

Jess glanced up at Luke, smiling wider. Luke looked down at Jess, smiling too, and put one hand on his shoulder again, glad that events had worked out and that his nephew was with him today.

Rachel took about three shots of them before they even realized it. "Perfect!" she decreed. "The Danes men are extremely photogenic." She walked the few steps to where they stood. "Ready to head inside?"

"Before we do…" Luke already felt silly, and the words weren't even out of his mouth. "Would you take one more picture of us first?"

Rachel did a double take, then leaned down confidentially towards Jess. "Is he sick?" she wondered.

"I don't think so."

"Are you sure?" She put a hand against Luke's forehead. "Because he must be delirious, if he actually wants to have his picture taken."

"Ha, ha," Luke said dryly. "I was hoping maybe you could take a picture of our ties." As soon as he said that, he felt even more foolish.

Rachel raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Your ties?"

But Jess was nodding, almost enthusiastically, which Rachel noticed.

"I gave Jess his grandpa's tie clip, and Lorelai gave me this one, last night, so I thought, you know, that maybe –"

"It would be a good thing to commemorate." Rachel nodded in total agreement. "Absolutely." She had Luke bend down slightly, so that he and Jess were on the same level. When she asked them to get a little closer, Luke quite naturally put his arm around Jess. She also suggested that they both point to the tie clips, and since that made them feel sort of ridiculous, their smiles were a little on the goofy side.

"Ha, great!" Rachel crowed, clicking off the shots. "You know, the world can always use more male models. I'm just saying, in case you ever get tired of the diner gig."

"I'll keep that in mind," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

They walked up the steps to the church door, but Rachel indicated she wasn't going in. "I'm going to stay out here and wait for the girls to arrive. I've already taken pictures of the sanctuary."

Inside, Jess settled into a back pew to wait. Luke walked slowly down the aisle to the altar, looking in amazement at the decorations that had erupted all over the church. Everywhere he looked, fall flowers, garlands of leaves, and fat white candles in clear globes enhanced the beauty of the old church.

"What do you think?" Mia asked, walking in from the side to join him.

"I can't…I can't believe this." He turned around, confirming all that he'd seen. "How did this happen? Did you do this?"

Chuckling, Mia walked over to him, taking his arm and hugging it against her. "I did very little. It was most of the Independence staff taking turns working on this."

"Oh, Mia, no." Luke felt distressed. "You shouldn't have made your staff do this."

At that comment, Mia laughed harder. "Oh Luke. My dear, you've got it so wrong. The staff was fighting over who got to do this."

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.

Looking at him, Mia sobered. "You understand, don't you, that Lorelai is much loved? She has that sort of personality. People are drawn to her; they want to be with her; to please her. I hope you know –" She cut off her words abruptly.

"Know what?"

Mia sighed. "That you might need to overlook some of that adoration occasionally. Sometimes…certain people mistake her natural personality for actual regard."

"You mean guys," Luke said grimly. "Men try to hit on her."

"Yes, but…it's not through any encouragement on her part. Her affections are firmly attached to you and you alone."

This time Luke sighed. "I'm aware. I mean, she's gorgeous, and that smile…" He shook his head. "From the beginning I knew she drew attention from everyone, and there's nothing I can do about that. Nothing I _want_ to do about that, because that's who she is. And as long as she agrees to stick with me, I'll find a way to handle her fawning fans."

Mia laughed again. "I'm certain she's sticking with you. There's no doubt about that." She looked him up and down. "And if that foolish girl has even one little bit of hesitation, one look at you will chase any cold feet right away."

Luke patted her hand. "Maisie approved, too."

"Of course she did. It's a proud day for all of us surrogate moms, Lucas."

Luke shook his head. "I have a feeling I'm going to be called Lucas more times today than I ever have in my entire life."

"You can handle it, dear, can't you?" Mia teased. "It's only one day."

Rachel popped her head inside. "The bride is here! Come on out and we'll take some pictures while the light is so lovely."

Luke took a deep breath, one that was a little on the shaky side.

"Are you ready for this?" Mia took his arm again, preparing to walk out with him.

He took another breath, one that he needed to settle his nerves. But the one after that fed his impatience. "Yeah, I am. No doubts from me, either."

"Then let's go see your beautiful bride, shall we?" Mia suggested, and they pushed through the church doors into the glowing rays from the lowering sun.


	12. Wedding Bell Bliss, Part 2

_Rachel popped her head inside the church. "The bride is here! Come on out and we'll take some pictures while the light is so lovely."_

 _Luke took a deep breath, one that was a little on the shaky side._

 _"Are you ready for this?" Mia took his arm again, preparing to walk out with him._

 _He took another breath, one that was needed to settle his nerves. But the one he took after that only fed his impatience. "Yeah, I am. No doubts from me, either."_

 _"Then let's go see your beautiful bride, shall we?" Mia suggested, and they pushed through the church doors into the glowing rays from the lowering sun..._

At first, Luke couldn't see anything. Stepping out of the shadowy church into the blazing setting sun effectively blinded him. He shaded his eyes and blinked, and finally managed to focus on the cloud of shimmering white emerging from the Inn's shuttle.

And then he was blinded in a completely different way.

He knew Lorelai would be a gorgeous bride, there was never any doubt about that. He'd watched her turn men's heads while wearing nothing more elegant than old jeans and a faded tee. All she had to do was flash those sapphire eyes and that killer smile his way and he was under her spell. Putting her in a wedding gown was a perfect example of gilding the lily.

But even knowing that, he simply wasn't prepared for the vision in white a dozen yards in front of him. The translucent material she'd layered over the gown caught the light and reflected opalescent rays all around her. The sheer, slim jacket she wore over the strapless gown was made of the same material, making her skin look like it had been coated in pixie dust. The jacket's sleeves flowed into romantic pearl-edged scallops at her elbows, and more small pearls accented the neckline. Part of her hair had been swept up, creating the perfect backdrop for the tiara, but there was still plenty of her dark hair curling over her shoulders, in crisp contrast to the sparkling white.

Luke was so dazzled he didn't notice Rachel taking picture after picture of him, documenting his initial reaction to his bride.

Lorelai stopped fussing with the full skirt of the gown and looked up, spotting him for the first time. Her eyes shone and her smile was pretty much everything he ever wanted out of life.

Rachel started to swing the camera back and forth, alternating shots of the bride and groom.

Slowly, Luke started to walk towards her, his eyes trying to absorb every detail. When he got close enough, Lorelai held out her hand to him and he grasped it tightly.

"Man, we have _got_ to get you one of these tuxes to keep, babe," she observed, her free hand running over the shoulder and lapel of the black jacket. "You are seriously rocking this."

"And you look…" He just shook his head, finding nothing in his supply of words that would do justice to her beauty.

"Like she stepped out of a fairy tale," someone suggested.

Luke shook his head again. "No, way too sophisticated to be one of those run-of-the-mill fairy tale princesses."

Lorelai laughed. "Yes! Sophisticated fairy tale! Exactly the look I was going for!"

Smiling, Luke glanced over at the young woman who'd spoken. His eyes bugged out. " _Rory?"_ he choked.

"What?" she frowned and glanced down at her dress. "Did I spill something?"

"No, you're just…you're just…"

Lorelai slipped her arm around his waist and leaned against him, also looking at her daughter. "Welcome to the future," she told him softly.

Luke remembered last Christmas, when he'd gotten the first inkling of what a grown up Rory was going to look like. And here was that interloper again; this time crashing their wedding, reminding him emphatically that time was _not_ going to stand still.

He made the cranky guy, the one who wanted to tell her to stay a little girl, go away and hide. "You look beautiful," he told her instead, meaning it sincerely.

"Didn't Mom do a fantastic job on my dress?"

"She did." Luke smiled and squeezed Lorelai's shoulders.

Rory's midnight blue dress had been softened by an overlay of the same iridescent material Lorelai had used on hers, making them look like they hailed from the same magical kingdom. Rory's hair was twisted up on the back of her head, and the pins holding it in place were bejeweled with gleaming flowers made out of pearls. Her dark blue pumps had a slight heel, and blush, lip gloss and mascara had been lightly added to her suddenly more mature face.

Luke turned from Rory to study Lorelai again. He gratefully touched one of the curls on her shoulder. "You remembered," he said.

"See, told you I had your back, bro!"

That was the first he was aware that Liz and Sookie were standing right there, too.

"Wow, Liz – you look great." He then smiled over at Sookie. "This may be the first time I've ever seen your hair without a bandana," he told her. "You should do that more often."

"You think?" Sookie grinned, making her dimples pop. The dark blue of her dress made her auburn hair even more striking.

He left Lorelai's side to go give his sister a hug. Her hair hung in long curls almost to her waist. The cornflower hue of her dress picked out the blonde highlights and made her cheeks appear extra rosy. "I had no idea your hair was this long. You've had it in a ponytail or twisted up in a bun every time I've seen you."

Liz returned his hug, then shrugged. "Just got tired of cutting it, I guess. Easier to let it grow out."

"You girls all look incredibly lovely." Mia had held back to allow Luke ample time to greet his bride, but now she joined the group, dispensing hugs and coos of delight to all.

"Let's move all of you over to the trees beside the church," Rachel suggested, a note of urgency in her voice. "The colors in those trees are unbelievable, and I want to get some shots of everyone by them while the light is so spectacular."

She posed Lorelai by herself first, and the late October sun broke through the colorful leaves, gently kissed her hair and skin with its rays, making her practically glow with an otherworldly beauty. Luke had a premonition that he was going to need a copy of that picture to carry with him at all times. It could live in his wallet with the horoscope.

"Luke!" Rachel soon barked out the order for him to come forward. She took pictures of him with Lorelai, in his jacket, out of his jacket, with him alone. "Rory!" she called out next, and went through the same procedures again, only this time with the three of them.

Rachel was definitely a pro at posing people. She efficiently hustled them into positions, putting them together and breaking them apart, making sure that she took shots of every possible combination, and that included Mia, Liz and Sookie. Jess made the mistake of coming outside to see what was going on and he was quickly pulled into several poses as well.

"Don't let me interrupt the fashion shoot," Ed Tallman observed, ambling up to the group.

"Ed! Get up here!"

"Me?" Ed snorted. "Not likely."

"Now," Rachel ordered, not smiling. She pointed to a spot and snapped her fingers.

"Yes'm," Ed capitulated, raising his eyebrows at Luke. Soon he'd had his picture taken with the bride and groom, and posed with Luke and Jess, as well as with Mia.

Rachel glanced at the watch on her arm. "OK, let's move inside and get those shots taken."

"Wait, wait!" Lorelai moved towards Rachel and held out her hands for the camera. "Let me take one."

Rachel looked a little irritated. "Just tell me what you still want a picture of, Lorelai, and I'll take it. That's what I'm here for."

Lorelai smiled. "I want a picture of you."

That stopped Rachel in her tracks. "Of _me_?"

"Yes. Of you and Luke."

"Oh, I don't think –" Luke said.

"Let's not –" Rachel said at the same time.

"Hey, let's remember who's the boss here today, shall we? It's me, the one in the white dress. Everybody bows to my wishes today," Lorelai decreed.

"And how is that different from any other day?" Rory pondered.

"Come on. Chop-chop. We've got a schedule to keep here," Lorelai cajoled. She held her hands out for the camera, and this time Rachel reluctantly gave it to her. "Just tell me where I look and what I push."

Resigned, Luke and Rachel moved to stand next to each other.

"Arms," Lorelai instructed, looking through the viewfinder while twirling a finger at them.

Unenthusiastically they wound their arms about each other.

"Now, Luke, tell Rachel how pretty she looks, because she does."

"I'm not –"

"Luke, she's one of your oldest friends. Tell her how pretty she looks in that aqua dress. _Now_ ," Lorelai ordered, turning the word to steel.

Luke sighed. "You look pretty," he muttered, rolling his eyes. Rachel turned slightly to the side, putting a couple of fingers over her mouth to hide her smile at the forced compliment.

That was the precise moment when Lorelai took the picture. When both Luke and Rachel looked at her, stunned that she'd flashed the camera during that moment, she took a second shot of their shocked faces. And when they both started grinning, she took a third one.

"At least one of those is going to be great," she predicted, giving the camera back to Rachel. "And you'll both be happy I insisted on taking it."

"OK, OK," Rachel grumbled, but she was smiling, all the same. "Inside the church, everybody."

Once they had all trooped down to the altar, she put them through their paces again, taking pictures of Luke and Lorelai alone, then grouping them together with the rest of the wedding party.

Before too long, the doors swung open and the Hartford branch of the family entered.

While Aunt Hope quickly rushed down the aisle to Lorelai, Trix stood at the back of the church, sourly studying her surroundings. "Emily, I don't know why you've been so critical about this church. I find it quite acceptable." As usual, her firm voice carried throughout the building.

"Well, _we_ think so!" Reverend Skinner had entered through the side door. "Welcome everyone!" He moved through the crowd, shaking hands, effectively breaking the ice.

Emily looked flustered as she too examined the church. "Is this the same place we were last night? Lorelai, what have you done?" she asked accusingly.

"Obviously, Mom, I contacted my pal David Copperfield and had him pull a fast one on you," Lorelai quipped. "Wait till the next time you see my house."

"Oh, well, the church does look lovely," Emily admitted. She finally turned, focused on Lorelai, and lost her ability to speak.

Richard had also zeroed in on Lorelai, and although his speech was similarly affected, his legs were not. Hope stepped aside as he made a beeline to his daughter.

"Oh…Oh, _Lorelai_." He put his arm around her, carefully, but with the utmost tenderness. "How beautiful you look."

"Aww, thanks, Daddy," Lorelai replied, obviously touched by his reaction.

Rachel was madly taking pictures, and when Richard noticed, he tried to move out of the way.

"No, no, no," Rachel instructed. "Richard, stay right there. Rory, you come over here too."

Richard melted when he saw Rory. He put an arm around her as well, and proudly looked at the camera.

"Great. Awesome," Rachel commented, snapping away. "Emily, let's have you join them," she soon suggested.

"You do look very pretty," Emily said, taking her place next to Lorelai as instructed. "That gown looks like it was made for you."

"Thanks, Mom. It was, as a matter of fact," Lorelai said, winking over at Luke.

"Well, give me the designer's name. I'll send more work his way than he can handle."

"Not sure _she's_ taking on more clients right now. She's pretty busy the way it is."

"Her loss then," Emily scoffed, smiling for the camera. "My friends have deep pocketbooks."

Once again Rachel had everyone gliding in and out of poses so smoothly and quickly that no one had a chance to do anything other than follow her orders and smile.

"Mia, you on one side of Lorelai. Emily, you on the other." And both ladies jumped into position, smiling obediently.

"Miracle worker," Luke whispered to Liz.

"Scary," Liz refuted, shuddering a little bit.

Trix had seated herself front and center on the first pew. Rachel sent the bride to stand behind her grandmother and lean over slightly, their heads touching, while Rory sat beside the oldest Lorelai, comfortably leaning up against the austere black dress.

Rachel slowly lowered the camera from her eye. "Um, Mrs. Gilmore, could you maybe…smile?"

"I do not smile," Trix said reprovingly. "However, I _can_ look less severe."

"Works for me," Rachel said, and swiftly took several shots. "OK, everyone, I think that's a wrap for now." She glanced at her wristwatch again. "Guests are going to be showing up soon. Time to disappear so you can all make your grand entrances a little bit later."

Everyone broke into groups and started to exit the sanctuary.

Except for Trix. "Young man," she intoned, pointing her cane at Jess.

Jess jumped, almost guiltily. "Me?"

"You shall sit with me."

Jess turned his head, as if looking for help. "I…shall?"

"Yes. You will keep me company and fetch anything I might need."

"Go on," Liz whispered to him. "Be nice."

Jess sighed mightily, but got his backpack and trudged to the front pew.

"All right, ladies. And Luke." Grinning, Lorelai took his hand. "We're going to head down to the basement, potty one last time, and then make sure we're all beautiful." She playfully pinched Luke's cheek. "You especially, pretty boy."

"Geez," Luke groaned.

After about 20 minutes in the basement with the high-pitched, increasingly excited voices of the females surrounding him, Luke had had enough. He could hear guests arriving upstairs and soft music playing as they entered the church.

"I'm going to go up and check on Jess," he told Lorelai, worried about his nephew being stuck with the straight-backed dowager.

"Good idea," Lorelai agreed. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, then made sure no trace of lipstick lingered there. "I'll see you soon," she promised.

Luke took the stairs up to the narthex. The daughter of Lorelai's favorite maid at the Inn was manning the guest book, but no one else was around. He started towards the swinging doors that lead into the sanctuary, intending to take a quick peek, just to make sure Trix hadn't made Jess into a stew.

But before he could open it, he heard Trix's voice, seemingly just on the other side of the door. "Young man, just what do you think you are doing?" she demanded.

 _Oh, no. Jess! What did you do?_ Luke thought. He rubbed his forehead, trying to think how to best defuse the situation.

"Tell me," Trix continued, her voice low and threatening. "What is your plan here? Do you even have one?"

"Can't I just _be_ here?" a man's voice answered petulantly.

A man's voice. Not Jess. Luke groaned in dismay, because he was pretty sure he recognized the voice.

"Christopher, what are you going to do? Are you going to make a scene? Are you going to climb up into the balcony and scream, like that actor did in that ridiculous movie about the plastics? Is that your plan? You think you will do that and then Lorelai will run off with you?"

"No," Christopher grumbled. "I just want her to know…that she still has a choice."

Luke suddenly realized that if he continued to clamp his jaw as tightly as he was, it was probably going to shatter within seconds. He ordered himself to relax.

"She has made her choice, young man, and it is not you," Trix continued to school Christopher. "You would do well to accept that truth. Act like an adult. Your daughter is here, after all. Is this really the way you want to appear in front of her? This is what you want her to remember of you, that you ruined her mother's wedding day?"

"No," he ground out.

"Then go. Go before anyone else sees you. Go before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

The door started to open and Luke had to jump back. He knew he should say something, something to put the little weasel in his place, but honestly, he didn't trust himself to speak.

Chris spotted him, gave him a thunderous look. "Take care of her," he growled, heading straight to the outer door.

Luke's hands automatically clenched into fists. "You mean both of them, right?" he taunted.

Christopher's progress to the door halted. His shoulders deflated and his head bowed. "Yeah, I do," he said softly. He turned around, looking humbly at Luke. "I do mean both of them."

Luke shook his head. "Why did you do this? Why did you come here like this?"

"Because…" He looked around blankly and shrugged. "I woke up this morning and basically freaked out." He shook his head, chewing on his lips. "It feels – it feels like I'm losing her."

Luke wasn't sure how to counter that. "The Lorelai you've always had…you're not losing her. Rory's mom, your old friend…she's not leaving. The way she feels about you, has always felt about you…that's not changing either. It all stays the same as it's always been. But Chris, you've got to accept that the way she feels isn't changing into something else, either, no matter how much you hoped it might someday." Luke felt some pity for him. "You get that, right?"

Chris rubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah, I do." He straightened up suddenly and took a few steps towards Luke, his hand out. "Look, man, I'm sorry. You know I've been doing pretty well with all of this, but I looked at the calendar today and just went into panic mode. I really don't want to ruin this day for you guys. Can we call a truce and I'll get out of here?"

"Yeah, I think so." Grudgingly, Luke shook his hand.

"Thanks. And if you could please not tell Lorelai…or Rory…that I was here, that'd be great." Despondently, Chris once again shuffled towards the door.

"Do you want to stay?"

Christopher whipped back around. "What? Are you serious?"

Luke grimaced, in disbelief at the words he'd just uttered. "Yeah, unfortunately I think I am."

"You'd let me stay?" Chris questioned skeptically, coming to stand before him again.

"Look, your daughter's going to be coming down the aisle in a little bit, and she looks…" Luke shook his head. "She's beautiful Chris. So grown up. It's a big day for her, too. Wouldn't you like to see her today? Share it with her?"

"Of course I would. But Luke, are you sure about this? Me? Here?"

"No, I'm not sure at all," Luke groused. "But you're Rory's dad and Lorelai's friend. You should probably be here today."

Christopher's shoulders squared and unconsciously he straightened his necktie. "Luke, thank you. This is way above and beyond."

"You're welcome," Luke said, his tone still a grumbling one. "Go in and get a seat before I change my mind."

Christopher nodded and took a step towards the swinging doors of the sanctuary, but on impulse Luke grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"I am warning you though. If I hear you so much as clear your throat when the minister asks if anyone objects to this marriage, tux or no tux, I am coming after you. I will bodily haul your ass out to the curb, you understand me?"

Chris held up both hands. "Noted," he said meekly.

"All right then. Get in there." Shaking his head at his own gullibility, Luke went to the outside door. He opened it just far enough to stick his head outside, in order to take in a deep, calming breath of the fresh air.

"There you are." Lorelai came up beside him. "I missed you."

"People are going to see you," he reminded her, closing the door.

"I don't care. I wanted to see you more." She smiled tenderly at him.

"Listen, Lorelai, there's something you should know," he said seriously.

Her eyes went wide. "Ooh, that's never a good thing to hear, especially not right before you take your wedding vows. What deep, dark secret do you need to spill? You're actually a vampire? You keep a stash of ladies' undergarments somewhere? There's a love child hidden away in a neighboring town?"

"I wish it was that simple," he muttered. "No – Chris is here."

"What?" She started to panic. "He can't be. I'll kill him! Where is he?"

"No, no, it's OK." He held her arms and tried to soothe her. "I invited him to stay."

"You did _what_? Are you _crazy_?"

"Quite possibly. I think he was planning on trying to steal you away –"

Lorelai scoffed.

"– but we had a pretty productive talk and it's all good now."

"Yeah, right," Lorelai sneered, still agitated. "When has anything with him ever been all good?"

"He's Rory's dad, and as much as I sometimes hate knowing that, he really wants to see her today. And it's like you said about Rachel being here. He's an old friend, someone you were really close to once. It kind of seems like he should be here, doesn't it? To witness the day?"

"Maybe," Lorelai grumbled. "Can we trust him though?"

"I did my best to put the fear of God into him."

"Well then, I guess we'll leave it in God's hands."

"Or your grandmother's," Luke murmured, recalling Trix's firm control of the Christopher situation.

The outside door opened abruptly, almost bumping into them.

"Well, well, well. If it ain't the groom!"

An older man was standing there grinning at them. He was tall, with a striking beer belly. His face was sort of a stretched out version of Luke's, if Luke had gained 60 pounds and aged 30 years.

"Louie?" Luke asked doubtfully. Grasping that this was Luke's uncle, Lorelai sent one of her dazzling smiles Louie's way in greeting.

"Never could put anything past you, Luke!" Louie shook his hand. "How are you, kid?"

Before Luke could reply, Louie had turned to Lorelai. He looked her up and down, not missing a thing. "This is the bride, huh?" He jammed an elbow into Luke's ribs and snorted a laugh. "Pretty obvious why you're marrying her, ain't it?" He winked knowingly and headed for the church doors.

" _Hey!"_ Luke was suddenly overcome with blinding anger. He leaped forward, grabbing Louie's arm tightly. "I haven't seen you in what? Ten years? And that's the way you talk to me after all that time? You come in here and insult the woman who's going to be my wife? If that's how you're going to act, you know the way back out!"

Louie looked shocked. "Whoa, hang on there, slugger. I meant no disrespect to your bride."

"No?" Luke kept hold of his arm.

"No, Luke, I didn't." Louie's boisterous demeanor faded away. "I just meant, hell, look at her. She's got Katie's smile. She wrote me that classy note, asking me to come up here for you today. Pretty apparent she's a sweetheart, just like your mother was. That's what I meant, Luke. You managed to pick out a gal just like your mother. That's all I was getting at."

"Oh." Luke now felt pretty foolish. He took his hand off of Louie's arm and attempted to smooth out the sleeve. "Sorry about flying off the handle."

"No problem, kid." Louie looked past him, back at Lorelai. "She _is_ a real looker, though. Probably a good thing you're able to defend your territory." He clicked his tongue and went into the church proper.

Lorelai was giggling. " _That's_ Louie?"

Luke tried to straighten himself up after the altercation. "The one and only, thank God."

"Wow. He's so much… _more_ than I ever expected."

" _More_ is right," Luke agreed.

The door opened again and Maisie and Buddy stepped inside.

"Oh good, we haven't missed anything yet," Maisie said, seeing them standing there.

"Not a thing," Lorelai said. She stepped up to hug them both. The hug went on for a long time. She finally burrowed her face into Maisie's neck.

"Lorelai, child." Maisie tried to disentangle herself from Lorelai's embrace. "What is it? Are you nervous, honey?"

"No." Lorelai sniffed deeply against Maisie's coat. "You smell amazing. Really good. You smell like…" She sniffed again. "Beef. Beef and onions."

Lorelai's stomach growled and everyone laughed.

"You just hang on a bit, darling. You know we'll serve the head table first," Buddy promised her.

Lorelai nodded rapidly. "I'll say my vows really fast."

"You just make sure you say them correctly," Maisie said sternly.

"Yes ma'am," Lorelai said with a smile, watching them go inside.

"Speaking of being correct, you do know my full name now, right?" Luke asked.

"Yes," Lorelai said curtly, rolling her eyes.

"I just want to make sure. Don't want you to be embarrassed in front of everyone."

"I don't know why you didn't tell me it wasn't William the day we ordered the invitations," Lorelai complained.

"Because I thought you were teasing me. How was I to know that the woman who had agreed to be my wife didn't even know my middle name?"

" _Rory_ said –"

"You leave Rory out of this."

"But she told me you had your dad's middle name!"

"As my first name."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" she grumbled.

"By asking me."

"You could have told me," she pouted.

He really wanted to kiss that pout right off of her face. "Come on, let's hear it. What's my name?" he asked patronizingly.

She rolled her eyes again. "Lucas Harrison Danes," she muttered.

"Excellent. You're a quick study."

"And you like to tease just as much as I do."

"Only because you pout so cute." Unable to resist, he leaned over for a quick kiss.

"Calm yourself, son," Ed Tallman cautioned him, as he and the rest of the bridal party entered the narthex. "Plenty of time for all that later."

"Lorelai, honestly," Emily said reprovingly. She came over and made sure Lorelai was fit to walk down the aisle, tugging on the sleeves of her jacket, fluffing her skirt, and pushing back one errant curl. Her hand strayed to Lorelai's cheek, where she held it for one rare, heartfelt moment. "Are you ready?" she quietly asked.

"I'm ready." Lorelai nodded, blinking hard. "Thanks, Mom."

Emily nodded back, then joined Richard as they lined up behind the door.

Rory appeared beside Lorelai, handing her the bridal bouquet full of sunflowers, orange lilies, cornflowers, and salmon and white roses. Smiling, Lorelai held it to her nose, then offered Rory a sniff.

The music changed. The doors opened. Ed gave Mia his arm and began to escort her down the aisle.

Richard looked back, and then Emily did, too. He cleared his throat. "Lorelai," Richard began.

"I know, Dad."

He nodded. He took Emily's arm. They too began to walk down the aisle, with Emily regally nodding to those in attendance.

Rory was breathlessly awaiting her turn, standing on her tiptoes at the threshold. She got the signal and slowly but confidently started down the aisle, not once looking back at them.

Luke almost felt dizzy from the anticipation of it all. "Ready?" he whispered to her.

"Wait, wait!" She pulled him into the corner, out of sight of the guests in the church. She kissed him with her whole heart, and he kissed her back the same way.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he agreed.

She was breathing hard. "And what we're going to say in there, all of it – it's already redundant. It doesn't matter, because it's already done. We're already us, do you understand?"

He slowly nodded. "God help me, but yes, I do."

"I'm yours, and you're mine."

"Yes," he agreed again. "Always."

"All this does is make it official."

"Official is good, though."

She smiled. "Yeah, official can come in handy."

The music changed, this time to the Wedding March.

"Ready?" he asked again.

She nodded, putting a hand to his face. "This is where you need to start paying attention, Duke."

"I'm way ahead of you, Snowflake. I've been paying attention the whole time."

"Good. Then…I guess we really are ready."

They took half a second, looking each other over, making sure lipstick wasn't smeared on either of them.

Luke offered his arm, but she shook her head. Instead she reached for his hand. He clasped her hand tightly in his. "Yeah, that feels right," he whispered.

Everyone in the church stood up, turning as one to see them. And Luke and Lorelai gladly walked down the aisle, to where Rory and Reverend Skinner were waiting for them.

* * *

 _One chapter left...and then just a teeny bit more!_

 **Note:** The line about the "love child in a neighboring town" is purely meant to be tongue in cheek. Rest assured there's no April (or Anna) in this universe.


	13. Making It Official

**Ready to walk down the aisle with Luke and Lorelai? Here we go...**

* * *

 _Lorelai nodded, putting a hand to his face. "This is where you need to start paying attention, Duke."_

" _I'm way ahead of you, Snowflake. I've been paying attention the whole time."_

" _Good. Then…I guess we really are ready."_

 _They took half a second, looking each other over, making sure lipstick wasn't smeared on either of them._

 _Luke offered his arm, but she shook her head. Instead she reached for his hand. He clasped her hand tightly in his. "Yeah, that feels right," he whispered._

 _Everyone in the church stood up, turning as one to see them. And Luke and Lorelai gladly walked down the aisle, to where Rory and Reverend Skinner were waiting for them…_

Luke did his best to pay attention, but the trip down the aisle was still mostly a blur. The only two things that registered were the warmth of Lorelai's hand in his, and Rory standing at the end, waiting. He depended on Rory's bright eyes to guide him the last few steps.

Reverend Skinner smiled at him, and then at Lorelai, before turning his attention to Rory. "Rory, why don't you stand up here beside me? That way you can see everything," he suggested.

Nodding, Rory stepped up by the minister and turned to face them, looking pleased with her upgraded position.

"Welcome to you all," the Reverend began genially, looking out at the guests in the pews.

"Coming together to witness a wedding is always a joyous occasion, but I think it's safe to say that all of us in attendance tonight are a little bit more excited about this ceremony than normal. This past year we've all heard quite a bit about 'it takes a village.' In our case, though, it didn't take a village to raise a child." He put a hand on Rory's shoulder. "No, Lorelai did just fine raising this remarkable young woman on her own. Instead, it took a village – specifically, our village of Stars Hollow – to watch in the wings, rooting for this couple to make it to the altar."

Luke and Lorelai exchanged a quick glance, a little confused. Their guests, however, didn't seem puzzled by the remarks at all, as a few of them chuckled and made noises of general agreement.

"Lorelai and Luke, maybe you weren't aware, but during the year that the two of insisted you were 'just friends,' your acquaintances and neighbors were actively watching for any signs to the contrary. There may or may not have been wagering, and some of us –" the minister stealthily patted his pocket "– may have profited from our firm belief that the two of you were meant for each other."

Stunned, Luke looked over at Lorelai, and saw that she appeared just as shocked, but again, chuckles were coming from the pews behind them, verifying as true what the minister was saying.

"Sometimes it's easier to be aware of things when they're not right under your nose, and most of us could see that in your case, true regard and genuine affection were leading you straight down the path to where you are today, which is standing before me and those assembled here, ready to become husband and wife." He patted Rory's shoulder. "I'm delighted that Rory served as the catalyst for your relationship to blossom. But then, since the Bible itself says 'a little child shall lead them,' I guess we really shouldn't have been all that surprised."

As the congregation smiled in assent, the minister turned to Rory, seriously this time. "Your mother and Luke have made it clear to me that your happiness and well-being are the most important things to them. So Rory, you need to answer a question for me before we proceed any further. Are you willing to accept Luke into your family, to allow him to act as a father to you, and to love him with your whole heart from this day forward?"

Rory was supposed to say 'I will' but instead she earnestly replied, "Yes, please."

Reverend Skinner couldn't hide his smile, and the audience melted. A muted chorus of ' _Aww_ -s' erupted from those assembled. He let the chatter die down before he began the solemn part of the ceremony.

"The union of husband and wife is intended for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given each other in prosperity and adversity, and to create a family. Marriage is never to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.

"Into this union Lorelai and Luke now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace."

The sanctuary went still, and the minister waited out the required silent seconds before he continued.

Just as he began to speak again, someone in audience quietly cleared their throat. Luke shook his head slightly and had to smile in spite of himself. He suspected it was Christopher, testing his boundaries.

"Here in the presence of God and the witness of this company, if either of you know any reason why you may not be married lawfully and in accordance with God's Word, speak now."

Lorelai squeezed his hand, and he squeezed it back. _Just get on with it_ , he thought impatiently.

"Lorelai, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Lorelai said clearly.

"Luke, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?"

Luke was already nodding his head before the minister got to the end of the question. "I will," he firmly agreed.

Reverend Skinner looked at those sitting in the pews. "I think I already know the answer to this, but will all of you witnessing these promises tonight do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?"

"We will!" their guests happily pledged.

"At this time, we will enjoy a song and a reading by family and friends of the bride and groom," Reverend Skinner said, and motioned for Liz to come forward. Luke, Lorelai and Rory went to sit in the front pew, where space had been reserved for them.

"Hi, everybody!" Liz said, waving. "For those of you who don't know me, or don't remember me, I'm Luke's sister Liz, and this is my old friend and singing buddy, Gil Sebastian."

"Hey, how are you all doing?" Gil's blond hair was almost as long as Liz's. He put down a stool he'd carried up with him and seated himself upon it, then adjusted his guitar, getting ready to play. "I'm real happy to be here, sharing this totally _major_ life event with you guys tonight. Oh, and hey – I just opened up a sandwich shop in Salisbury. If you come in this week and mention the wedding, I'll give you 20% off!" He beamed at everyone.

Emily Gilmore looked like she was ready to snatch away Gil's guitar and brain him with it, but most of the Stars Hollow crowd nodded in appreciation at the deal.

"So, I know this might surprise some of you," Liz told them, "but I _did_ pay attention during Sunday School. Well, some," she chuckled. "And one of the stories I remember, but always puzzled over, was the story of Ruth." Liz shook her head. "I mean, here's this woman, with no ties holding her, who decides to stay with her mother-in-law, of all people." She grinned at everyone. "But then after I grew up, I understood. I understood it was all about love."

" _Love_ , man," Gil echoed with feeling, lighting strumming the guitar.

"When you really love somebody, you want to be with them, no matter what happens, or where they end up. That means you'll go to the ends of the earth, if that's what it takes to be together. And I know that's the way it is with my big bro and Lorelai. They've got that kind of love, the kind that means they won't ever let distance or anything else keep them apart." Liz suddenly turned apprehensive. She looked up towards the balcony, shading her eyes. "Oh, hey Rachel – no offense," she called, knowing that Rachel was up there, taking pictures.

There were a few moments of silence. "None taken," Rachel then dryly replied.

Once again the guests had something to laugh about. Emily looked at Richard and threw up her hands, fuming.

"Cool," Liz nodded. "Anyway, as soon as I thought about them like that, I knew the right song to sing. Huge thanks to the incredibly talented Ms. Carole King for helping me out here."

Gil played the introduction and Liz started to sing, her husky voice giving extra meaning to the simple words.

" _Wanting you the way I do,  
I only want to be with you,  
And I would go to the ends of the earth,  
'Cause, darling, to me that's what you're worth…"_

Gil began to harmonize with her when she reached the chorus, bopping his head, his long hair swaying back and forth.

" _Where you lead, I will follow,  
Anywhere that you tell me to,  
If you need, you need me to be with you,  
I will follow where you lead…"_

Lorelai leaned closer to Luke, her eyes shining. "Good choice!" she whispered. "She's right, it's perfect for us!"

Luke nodded, enjoying the song just as much as she was. He didn't even realize he was tapping along in time to the music, his toes following Gil's swaying locks.

Liz and Gil sang the rest of the lyrics, and after the last words of the chorus, Gil jumped to his feet and finished up with a rocking guitar riff. He grabbed Liz's hand and they both bowed low, which caused about half of the congregation to applaud.

"Thanks! Thanks, everybody! Don't forget about the 20% off. I left flyers by the door," Gil reminded the crowd, as he picked up the stool and he and Liz began to exit the front of the church. Liz paused for one moment longer, looking over at Luke.

"I love you, big brother! Thanks for picking out a cool sister-in-law for me!"

Luke sighed, deciding there was no longer any reason to pretend this ceremony was going to decorous in the least. "You're welcome," he said, smiling at his goofy sister.

Sookie rose and went to the front of the church, taking her place at the lectern. "Hi, hi, hi, hi," she said rapidly, smiling nervously. "I'm Sookie. Sookie St. James. I'm a friend of the bride." She blinked at Luke. "And Luke. Of course I'm his friend, too, but mainly Lorelai's. Oh, and Rory's!" She nodded at them all. "Rory's always been my special little pal. You know, I can remember back when she could barely see over the counter, and I used to…"

As discreetly as possible, Lorelai made a slashing motion across her throat, and Sookie got back on track.

"Right, right! We're all here because they're getting married, Lorelai and Luke are, and Lorelai asked me to read a poem or something special to mark the occasion, and of course I said sure! I'd love to! What an honor, you know? And then Lorelai kept asking me if I'd found something, and I…" Sookie looked stricken. "Well, I lied. I kept saying I had…but the truth was, I hadn't. I thought it would be easy to find exactly the right sort of poem, but it turns out there just aren't that many poems about soup."

Luke could feel a ripple go through the congregation as everyone wondered the same thing at the same time, namely: _"Soup?"_

"You see, I'm a chef, so my world pretty much revolves around food. And to me, they are soup." She pointed at the three of them. "In case you don't know, the first thing you need for great soup is a good, hardy stock, something substantial, something that's not going to get lost, no matter what else you put in it, and that's Luke, of course. He's the base that's going to carry the soup, either a really good beef stock, or…well…I guess it could be chicken, or even vegetable – I make a darn good vegetable stock – but I usually think of him as beef."

Grinning from ear to ear, Lorelai squeezed his hand again, trying to keep herself from laughing.

"But broth all by itself is boring, no matter how good it is, and that's why you need to put in the right spices and seasonings, and obviously, that's Lorelai. She's the salt and pepper, maybe the little pinch of red pepper flakes to stir in, or whatever it is that gives the soup that something special it needs to keep it interesting. She's the thyme or the rosemary, or the chili powder – the one thing you'd never think of adding, but the one ingredient that's exactly what it needs to make it perfect."

Luke smiled back at Lorelai, shaking his head.

"So then you've got the base, you've got the seasonings – but that's still a pretty plain bowl of soup to put in front of somebody. You need something else, something like rice or gnocchi or maybe even meatballs to make it fun to eat. And that's Rory. She's that extra component that turns it into a real meal."

Mia suddenly fumbled for a handkerchief to dab under her eyes.

"Anyway, that's the sort of poem about soup I wanted to find, but I'm sorry – I'm really sorry, Lorelai, it doesn't exist. If it's OK with you, though, I'll still go ahead and read the best food poem I found." Sookie looked beseechingly at Lorelai.

Lorelai nodded, smiling at her friend.

"OK, it's called _Love is Like Food_ , by Kasey Szamatul." Sookie cleared her throat and began to read.

 _"There is a hunger in our hearts that needs it.  
There are as many flavors as there are people.  
For love is practically everyone's favorite dish.  
They put in their own spices and sweets to make it just right.  
Yet just like cooking a fine dish, cooking takes time.  
Too much heat, too much lust or passion, will leave your love burned.  
Mixing the wrong ingredients, mixing up your emotions with others, will have an adverse effect.  
Leaving it out for a long time, if you never check up on it, will make it rotten and spoil.  
If you take your time, work hard, and keep it fresh, you will have a true masterpiece.  
You will have a true love."_

Sookie looked up when she finished. "So there you go, guys. I know you'll have a wonderful marriage, because you've already got everything you need to put in the pot." She picked up her paper from the lectern, preparing to leave. "But there really _should_ be poems about soup," she muttered regretfully.

Lorelai mouthed "I love you" to Sookie as she walked back to her seat.

Reverend Skinner hustled to the front of the church, seemingly anxious to get the ceremony back under control. "Thank you, Liz…and Gil…and Sookie, for those heartfelt words. I'm sure we all appreciate how much thought you put into your respective… _unique_ offerings for the bride and groom." He looked at all of the participants sitting in the first pew. "Luke and Lorelai, and Rory, would you please come forward again?"

As they rose and took their places, the minister continued. "Luke and Lorelai have chosen to have some very special people join them as they say their vows. Richard and Emily, and Mia and Ed, would you please come forward as well?"

Rory once again stood next to the minister, turning to face the congregation. Lorelai handed Rory her bouquet to hold, then moved to take both of Luke's hands in hers. Richard and Emily stood beside Lorelai, while Ed and Mia took their places next to Luke.

Reverend Skinner opened his mouth to continue, but Ed interrupted. "Say, Archie, would it be OK if I said a little something here?"

The minister looked a little surprised, but handled the unexpected disruption well. "Of course, Ed. Go ahead."

Ed nodded. "I've known Luke since the day he was born, but you could've knocked me down flat when he asked me to be up here with him on his wedding day, I was so shocked. He said he wanted me to be his witness. Well, it kind of seems like I _should_ witness then, and say what I know to be true."

"I can't disagree with that," the minister laughed. "Have your say."

"Luke was always a good kid," Ed began. "He was trustworthy. He was the one you gave the money to when the kids went for ice cream, because you knew he'd get them all there and back safe – and bring back the change, too. He was always good-natured. Then…life threw some stuff at him. His mom died. He lost his dad, also, way too young." Ed briefly dipped his head, mourning his friend. "I watched as Luke tried to find his footing. It appeared he could go down two paths, and he was trying to decide which way was going to be the one for him. He could turn out like his dad; warm and generous, or he could be like his uncle; cantankerous and grumpy." Ed suddenly turned around and swung an arm Louie's way. "Oh hey, Louie – no offense."

"None taken," Louie replied amiably, as people chuckled again.

"Anyway, it looked to me that Luke could go either way, and I worried about the kid. But then this little lady came along." Ed smiled at Rory. "And she brought her mother with her, which was just what Luke needed in his life. I knew the first time I met Lorelai that I didn't need to worry about him anymore. I knew his path was going to be with her, and he was going to be fine. So I'm very happy to be here with them today, as they make it official." He shrugged. "That's what I wanted to say."

"Thank you, Ed," the minister said. "Now, we will –"

"If I may?" Mia spoke up.

The Reverend Skinner looked resigned. "Of course, Mia."

Mia put a hand on Luke's arm, love shining out of her eyes. "I, too, have known Lucas since he was born. It's unspeakably sad to lose a mother so young, also to lose a good friend too soon. Katie was a dear friend to me, and when she knew it was inevitable…well, she asked me to do her the great favor of watching over her children." Mia paused, taking a shaky breath.

"Years later, another child came under my wing, bringing along her own little chick." She smiled over at Lorelai, then at Rory. "As the years passed by, I many times contemplated what would happen if my two charges should somehow be thrown – accidentally, of course – into each other's path. However, since both of them are incredibly stubborn, I knew better than to ever attempt matchmaking. So imagine how delighted I was when Rory did the dirty work for me!" She laughed, as did many of the guests. "It gives me great pleasure to witness, on my friend's birthday, that Luke is now in Lorelai's care. I can rest easy, knowing that he will forevermore be loved and happy in a family of his own."

Luke dropped Lorelai's hands so he could turn and give Mia a hug. "Thank you," he said gruffly. He reached beyond Mia to shake Ed's hand. "Thanks, Ed."

"My pleasure, son," Ed replied, sounding just as gruff as Luke did.

By the time Luke got back into place, everyone – including Reverend Skinner – had turned their eyes expectantly towards Richard Gilmore.

Realizing that he was going to have to speak without warning, Richard looked unnerved, but after a few moments of thought, his rich, melodious voice filled the church.

"Every parent has hopes and dreams for their child, and I was certainly no different. I had it all mapped out for Lorelai. The finest education money could buy. Travel. Whatever she wanted out of life, I planned to make it happen. Her future had no limits. I had it all calculated out, you see. Unfortunately, I forgot to check with her. I forgot to take into account that she had her own ideas, and her ideas included moving here to this…peculiar little town. Stars Hollow is not where I envisioned her, but the more time I spend here, the more I can see the appeal of being a resident. Stars Hollow obviously suits Lorelai, and Rory too. They're certainly happy here. Also, as careers went, I never thought of the hospitality industry as being her life's work…" Frowning, Richard moved his head, so he could see Mia. "No offense, Mia."

"None taken, Richard," Mia said politely.

"But it's also obvious that Lorelai loves the Independence Inn, and that she's found not just a job, but an occupation that will give her joy throughout her life."

Richard stopped for a second and looked frankly at Luke. "Luke is not the man I pictured as her partner, either, but again, there's no doubt that the two of them are perfectly suited to each other. You can't be around them and not see the mutual love and respect they have. I'm satisfied that Lorelai has found everything I ever dreamed for her – a good job, a happy home, and a partner who is worthy of her. I wish them all the happiness that life can bestow and I too am very proud to be standing here with them today."

Lorelai was fighting tears. She let go of Luke to lean against her father. He put an arm around her and gently kissed her forehead before he released her.

The focus shifted to Emily, who became increasingly irritated, knowing that she was now expected to speak. She tossed her head before she began. "There was a book that was popular a while ago, called 'The Strong-Willed Child.'" She scoffed. "I could have written that book, because I definitely had a strong-willed child."

"Oh, here we go," Lorelai muttered under her breath.

"Lorelai was never happy until she could do something for herself," Emily continued. "She couldn't wait to feed herself. She wasn't content until her feet touched the floor and she could walk on her own, getting her own toys from the toy box. She wanted to pick her own friends; she had a fit unless she chose her own extra-curriculars at school. From feeding herself mashed bananas as a toddler to making her own wedding gown, she's never been happy unless she's done it her own way."

Lorelai choked back a stunned laugh, realizing her mother knew the truth about the wedding gown after all.

"That's how I know that this marriage is going to be a success, because Luke is the man Lorelai has chosen. This is what she wants. They will have a long, happy marriage, because I _know_ my daughter. She will fight tooth and nail to make this marriage last because she never gives up on what she wants. She will –" Emily stopped abruptly and seemed to re-evaluate her words. "And…that might be because she learned it from me," she finally admitted, somewhat proudly.

Lorelai looked over at her mother. "I did," she said softly, and Emily nodded in acknowledgment.

"That is actually a Gilmore trait," Trix sniffed from her seat, _sotto voce._ Hope looked askance at her.

"I would wish my daughter well, but I know she doesn't need my good wishes. She will make sure it all goes according to her plan. I am, however… very touched…to be here with her tonight. The fact that she asked Richard and me to stand beside her as she begins her life with Luke – this is a privilege I did not expect, and…" Emily looked over at Lorelai, the hard edge she normally presented to the world suddenly disappearing. "I hope your marriage is everything you want it to be, Lorelai. I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

Lorelai immediately stepped in front of her father, to give Emily a quick hug.

"Thank you to all of the witnesses for giving us such profound insights into the bride and groom. I'm sure Luke and Lorelai have appreciated hearing what you had to say," Reverend Skinner summed up. "Now we will continue with the wedding vows." He then looked at Luke, playfully arching his eyebrows. "Unless there's something you'd like to say, Luke?" he teased, knowing how much Luke disliked speaking in public.

"As a matter of fact…" Luke squeezed Lorelai's hand even tighter, for courage. "There is, actually."

"O…Okay," the minister stuttered, shocked beyond belief. "Please, proceed."

Luke chewed his bottom lip for a minute, making sure he knew what he wanted to say. He looked down at her hand in his, then looked at her, smiling. "One morning, this woman came into the diner, begging for coffee."

Lorelai smiled so brightly it almost seemed to him as if she'd laughed.

"This woman wouldn't stop pestering me. The diner was packed, I couldn't just drop everything and get her a cup of coffee. I told her to wait her turn."

Lorelai did giggle then.

"But that didn't stop her. Instead of begging for coffee, she started to ask me when my birthday was, over and over and _over_ again, and when I finally got fed up and told her, she tore a horoscope out of the paper. On it she wrote 'You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away.'"

Lorelai nodded, remembering, a tender look on her face.

"She told me to put it in my wallet, that it would bring me luck someday." Luke took a deep breath. "But just like Mia pointed out, I'm stubborn. I wasn't about to put anything in my wallet just because some beautiful, annoying woman told me to. So I didn't, not until after I'd spent a day with Rory, and had experienced a not-so-annoying conversation with the beautiful woman. And as it turns out, it did bring me luck. In fact, I might be the luckiest guy in the world, because love, and a family, and everything I ever wanted has been granted to me. I love you, Lorelai, and I can't wait to say I do and become your husband."

There was a general sense of movement in the sanctuary as quite a few people had to wipe their eyes.

Lorelai swiped a finger under her own eyes, but she was half-laughing at the same time. "Oh, you know _I_ wanna talk!" she said to the audience, putting a hand up in the air, which made everyone chuckle again.

"Rory and I had everything we needed," she began. "We were this team, this perfect unit. We supported each other. We were best pals. We were completely self-sufficient." She tilted her head, studying Luke. "There was nothing we couldn't do together," she proclaimed, but then she shrugged. "Except cook. And…fix our decrepit house. And…OK, the yard work was sometimes beyond our capabilities, I will admit that."

Luke grinned.

"Oh, and we needed help to change the water bottle, too. That sucker is heavy." Smiling just at him, she took both of Luke's hands in hers. "Luke, it's awesome that you can do all of those things for us. But even if you couldn't – if you couldn't boil water, if you didn't know a screwdriver from a hammer – it wouldn't matter. Because it turns out that what Rory and I needed the most was somebody else to love us." She squeezed his hands and nodded. "I agree, let's get to the 'I dos.' I want to officially make you a part of our team as soon as possible."

"And on that note…" Reverend Skinner said. "Luke, please take Lorelai's right hand in your right hand, and repeat after me…"

"I, Lucas Harrison Danes, take you, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, to be my wife…" Luke concentrated on repeating the words, hardly able to believe it was finally happening. He stared into Lorelai's eyes. "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health…" He paused for a split second, deciding impulsively to do it. "…and in stupidity," he added.

Lorelai laughed, as did most of those in attendance.

Luke quickly got back to what mattered. "…to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

Then it was Lorelai's turn.

"I, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, take you, Lucas Will –" She flashed him a quick wink. "– _Harrison_ Danes, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, _in stubbornness or not_ , to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow." Her eyes twinkled at him, in spite of the devoted words.

"And now the rings, please."

Ed stepped forward with Lorelai's, and Emily had the one for Luke.

 _This is it_ , Luke thought, dazed.

"Bless, O Lord, these rings as a symbol of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Luke slid the ring onto Lorelai's finger. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," he repeated.

Then it was Lorelai's turn to say the words to him and slip the band onto his finger. It was a shock to feel the cool metal slide over his skin; a shock to realize the ceremony was almost over.

Reverend Skinner smiled kindly at them. "Now that Lorelai and Luke have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder."

Luke took a deep breath, finally relaxing fully. They'd done it. They were married.

"Rory?" the minister prompted.

Rory recited a blessing she'd memorized. "May the love that has grown between you be a blessing to all those around you, binding everything together in perfect harmony. An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. May you both always be open to each new thread that comes into your lives – and may you weave them into a brilliant and beautiful life." She looked satisfied when she finished without stumbling over one word.

Rory then looked at Luke, smiling widely. "Luke, you may now kiss my mom."

Luke didn't need to be told that twice. He took Lorelai into his arms and kissed her, with a little bit more reserve than he had right before they walked down the aisle, but not much.

Cheers, applause, and the recessional music broke them apart. Lorelai took her bouquet back from Rory, gave her a quick hug, and then they walked up the aisle.

"We're official!" Lorelai declared excitedly, as soon as they hit the narthex. Giddy, she threw her arms around him, and he rushed to kiss her again.

"We are indeed," he agreed. "Mrs. Danes," he added, trying it out.

"Mr. Gilmore," she teased, before instigating one more kiss.

By then Rory was with them, excited and babbling about the ceremony. They latched on to her, turning their embrace into a group hug.

The next thing they knew, Lorelai's parents and Ed and Mia were there, too. Everyone was chattering and throwing out hugs and good wishes.

Maisie and Buddy appeared in the midst of the chaos. "That was probably the best wedding I've ever attended," Maisie declared, standing on her tiptoes to hug Luke. "Forgive us for not waiting for the signal to leave the church, but we've got a meal to orchestrate."

"Don't forget we'll expedite your food," Buddy promised Lorelai, kissing her cheek. "Beautiful brides get fed first."

"Thank you!" Lorelai called after them, as they went out the door.

" _Christopher?"_ Emily Gilmore suddenly exclaimed, looking shocked.

" _Dad?"_ Rory ran over to hug her father. She tilted back her head, looking up at him. "What are you doing here?"

Christopher glanced sheepishly over at Luke. "Oh, well, I…I wanted to get a peek at you, today, kiddo. Your mom, too, of course. And Luke…Luke graciously invited me to stay."

Rory turned to look at Luke, amazement written all over her face. She left Chris and bounced back to Luke, giving him a heartfelt hug. "Luke, thank you!"

"You're welcome," Luke said softly. He tried to pat her hair but encountered only a crisp layer of hairspray. He looked at her shining face. _Remember this,_ he told himself. _You got this one right._

Chris self-consciously walked over to join them. "Sorry, I was trying to sneak out," he told Luke quietly.

"No problem," Luke replied.

"You look so beautiful, Lor. Of course, I always knew you would," he said, as regret marked his face. He reached for her, then stopped, again glancing at Luke. "OK if I kiss the bride?"

Luke nodded. "As long as you remember that _I am right here_."

"Hard to ignore your looming presence," Chris quipped. He carefully kissed Lorelai's cheek. "Best wishes, Lor. And I really mean that." He straightened up and turned to Luke, his hand outstretched. "Congratulations, man. You got her."

"He didn't 'get' me, Chris, like some prize in a box of crackerjack. I fell in love with him and we made the decision to be together," Lorelai snapped.

"Right, right. I know that," he said sadly, before turning his attention back to Rory. "OK, kiddo, have fun. I'm going to get out of here."

"You're leaving?" Rory was crestfallen. She gave her mom and Luke a disappointed look. "He can't stay for the reception?"

Luke and Lorelai stared at each other. Lorelai looked halfway miffed. Luke rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Sure, stay," Lorelai said, not altogether graciously. "We can probably find you a seat."

"Yay!" Rory bounced in excitement.

"Christopher is _still_ here? How fortunate. He shall be my escort for the evening," Lorelai's grandmother announced dryly, gliding to a stop in front of them. She leaned in to touch her cheek against Lorelai's. "Young Mr. Mariano has upheld his duties admirably, but I believe it is now time to release him so that he can cavort with Rory." She reached over to sternly pat Luke's face, apparently a sign of affection from her. "The wedding was unorthodox, but rather satisfying. Which, now that I think about it, is also an apt description for the two of you." She nailed both of them with her penetrating gaze. "You have my blessing," she proclaimed with a decided nod.

"Thanks, Gran," Lorelai said, as Trix took Christopher's arm and moved away

"Did we need her blessing?" Luke wondered under his breath.

"Can't hurt," Lorelai said cheerfully, just before Hope hurried over to give her a hug.

"I'm so happy for both of you!" Hope said, turning to hug Luke, and then hugging Lorelai once again. "I think that's the best wedding I've ever attended. And that includes both of mine, by the way!" She winked before moving away.

"It's getting too crowded in here," Emily complained. "Your father and I are going to walk over to the reception area now. I want to make sure all of my instructions are being followed."

"Got that 6-inch ruler ready, Mom?" Lorelai asked.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you always think that criteria is so funny, Lorelai. If you're going to utilize candles, they need to be placed properly."

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, Lorelai? What other aspects of entertaining do you want to chastise me about? That the table linens all match? That the chafing dishes are placed so that the guests don't accidentally burn themselves?"

"No, Mom…I just wanted to thank you for doing all of this for us. It's really nice that you want us to have such a beautiful reception, and I…I appreciate it. We both do."

"Oh." Emily looked completely taken aback. "You're our daughter, after all, and this is your wedding. Of course we want it to be as nice as possible."

"Well…thanks." Lorelai's soft smile seemed to be saying more than that, and Emily seemed to understand all that it entailed. For a few seconds more she looked at Lorelai with true affection.

"Don't hold up the receiving line," she then instructed curtly, nodding at the doors to the church, which were beginning to open for all of the exiting guests.

"Ooh, doll, you look like a million bucks! Morey, doesn't Lorelai look gorgeous?" Babette rushed in with an exuberant hug. She grabbed Luke and pulled him down to where she could give him a kiss on his cheek.

"Very cool wedding," Morey said, as usual hanging back behind his effusive wife. Luke shook his hand, amazed to see Morey's eyes for once. The sunglasses were folded up and stored in the front pocket of his suit jacket.

"Rory!" Lane hopped up, accompanied by her mother. "Wow, you look so grown up!"

Rory giggled. "Feel my hair," she instructed her friend.

Mrs. Kim held her purse tightly in front of her and made no move to give either the bride or groom any physical congratulations. "It is good that you will no longer be living in sin," she told them. "You are setting a good example for Rory. Late, but better late than never."

"Oh, uh –" Lorelai stammered, unusually tongue-tied by Mrs. Kim's blunt observation.

"Lane will now be permitted to visit your home more frequently," she continued.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Lorelai beamed.

"She's always welcome," Luke added.

"But there will be no consuming of Pop Tarts while she is with you," Mrs. Kim warned.

"Not while I'm there." Luke immediately agreed with the restriction.

"Come, Lane. We will continue on to the celebration."

"Yes, Mama." Lane took time to give Lorelai a hug before following her mother. She studied Luke with uncertainty, then decided to hug him as well.

"Mom, I'm going over to the tent with Lane." Rory's eyes were lit up with mischief. "She didn't get to do anything for the wedding, but she has permission to help me with a surprise for the reception."

"A surprise?" Lorelai wondered. "What kind of surprise?"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Rory rushed to join the Kims, and Jess appeared from out of nowhere and followed them.

More and more people passed in front of them, offering congratulations.

"How did this crowd fit into the church?" Luke muttered into Lorelai's ear. "And who _are_ all of these people?"

"Beats me!" Lorelai was still smiling sweetly. Her cheeks were pink from all of the kisses she'd received.

Luke felt that some of the congratulatory kisses went on for too long. He soon learned to lean over and thrust his arm out, offering a handshake, to effectively break up the smooches. Lorelai introduced him to everyone, but none of the names stuck.

"Why isn't kissing the groom a thing?" A very blonde wife of one of Richard's associates voiced the complaint while looking at Luke speculatively. Her husband was in the process of kissing the bride's cheek. "It should totally be a thing."

"Oh, now, Bunny, you can't buck tradition. Move along now, move along," Lorelai joshed, shooing the couple towards the door.

Luke couldn't believe how happy he felt when a Stars Hollow person was in front of him. It was nice to see a familiar face and to hear good wishes coming from someone who knew him. He was surprised and touched that Carl, his old grill cook, had found the time to come to the wedding, as had Lawrence Coopersmith, the county deputy. He didn't even mind shaking Taylor Doose's hand. Apparently marriage was mellowing him already.

Jolene had a damp Kleenex clutched in her hand. "Sorry, I can't stop crying," she sniffled, smiling through her tears. "It was just _so_ beautiful!" She _did_ kiss the groom, taking a moment to beam at him before turning to Lorelai. "You see that you keep him happy," she ordered.

"That's my plan," Lorelai assured her.

Larry came through with his equally quiet wife, shaking hands all around. "Congratulations, boss," Larry simply said, but those words warmed Luke's heart.

After what seemed like hours, the church was empty.

"Finally!" Lorelai said. "Let's go eat!"

Luke laughed. "That's all the reception is to you? A chance to eat?" He took her hand and helped her down the steps as they left the church.

"That, and _maybe_ a chance or two to dance with my handsome husband." She stopped to give him a kiss.

Luke thought about keeping her outside, perhaps even pulling her over into the dark, out of the light cast by the lanterns to mark the path to the tent, but he supposed people were impatiently waiting for them. He guessed he could share her for a few hours more and keep his own impatience at bay.

The second they stepped into the tent, everything went dark. Before they could wonder what was wrong, someone shouted, "Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Danes!" and the lights came back on. Bubbles were floating everywhere.

"Oh, pretty!" Lorelai gasped.

All of their guests had formed two long lines, from the tent entrance to their table, and everyone had a small bottle of bubble solution and was enthusiastically blowing bubbles at them.

As they walked through the gauntlet of bubbles, Lorelai kept turning around, watching the shimmering surfaces catch and reflect all of the twinkling light illuminating the tent. "It's like fairyland!" she proclaimed in delight.

Rory ran over to them, her wand billowing bubbles in the air over her head. "Do you like it? Lane had the idea, and Mia and Sookie helped make it come true."

"So much better than rice or birdseed!" Lorelai laughed. She hugged Rory, then looked for Lane. "Come here, you!" When Lane shyly joined them, Lorelai gave her a big hug and a smacking kiss to the top of her head. "What a lovely, magical thing to do for us!"

Luke couldn't believe that the warm, beautifully lit space was the same empty canvas he'd seen earlier in the day. Lorelai's decree of 'fairyland' wasn't far from the truth.

Soon food – luscious, hot, heavenly food – was in front of them, and Luke discovered he was ravenously hungry. He couldn't remember eating anything except for the toast early in the morning. He and Lorelai both started eating as soon as it was polite to do so.

Unfortunately their meal was often interrupted by silverware hitting crystal glasses, signaling them to kiss. He'd always thought that was a stupid custom, but now that he was the one expected to kiss Lorelai, well…maybe it wasn't as ridiculous as he thought.

"Enough, people!" Lorelai finally said, throwing up her hands. "I promise, I'll kiss this guy as much as you want me to, but let me eat first!"

The crowd laughed and left them in peace while they finished their entrée.

Once their plates had been cleared, Lorelai stood up, ready to greet their guests. "Hi, everyone! Is this an awesome night, or what?"

Everyone called back to her, affirming that it certainly was.

Lorelai nodded. "I have an awful lot of people to thank. First I want to thank all of you, for taking the time to travel here on a Monday, in order to share our wedding day. People came from far and wide." She smiled directly at her Aunt Hope and nodded at Uncle Louie. "I also want to thank Buddy and Maisie for preparing such a delicious feast for us. Their restaurant, Sniffy's, is only a short drive from Stars Hollow, and I assure you, everything they serve there tastes just as fabulous as what you ate here tonight. Thank you both. You're two of my favorite people in the world." Lorelai threw a kiss their way and then started to clap, and soon everyone in the room was paying homage to the food providers.

"Also, I want to thank everyone who helped us pull this wedding off. Miss Patty, Babette, thanks for helping me get the invitations out in time. Thanks to all of you who helped decorate. Thanks to my dear, dear friend Sookie, who said the sweetest things to us tonight and still doesn't realize it. You'll all get to marvel at her creativity a little bit later, when we unveil the wedding cake she made for us. Thanks to Liz and Gil, who provided the perfect song for us. Thanks to Reverend Skinner, who allowed us to highjack the ceremony and turn it into something custom-made just for us. Thanks, from the bottom of my heart, to Mia and Ed, basically just for being Mia and Ed. They are two of the most awesome people I know."

Lorelai stopped to take a deep breath. "And last – but definitely not least – I want to thank my parents, Richard and Emily Gilmore. I've teased my mother all of my life about her unstoppable hostess tendencies, her need to have candles evenly spaced, her innate ability to know when to mingle with the guests. But look around you, people. It's obvious to me now that she's been in training all of these years for exactly this night. She wanted to make sure that her daughter had a wedding she'll never forget." She turned to face her parents. "Mom, Dad…I know I've always been a handful. I know I made your lives hell for a number of years. But thank you – thank you so much – for letting me make my own mistakes, for allowing me time to straighten out my own life. Thank you for being here tonight; thank you for standing up in church with us. Thank you for everything."

Luke stood up and put his arm around Lorelai. They'd agreed that speaking was her thing; that she'd say everything that needed to be said, but he thought she was beginning to look a little wobbly from the emotional words she'd just spoken. He looked over at Richard and Emily and nodded to them, adding his own non-verbal thanks to his new in-laws.

"Mom, I can only hope that when it's my turn to be the mother-of-the-bride that you'll help me make a night like this for Rory," Lorelai finished, her words slightly choked.

Emily nodded tearfully before looking down at her lap. Richard put his arm around his wife's shoulders and smiled gratefully at Lorelai and Luke.

"And speaking of my kid…" Lorelai moved down the dais until she could put her hands on Rory's shoulders. "I want to thank her, too. She's been the one in favor of this whole Luke thing from the beginning. Thanks to her, I realized that he was more than just a pretty face serving the best coffee in the state. Thanks to her, he saw me at times when I was non-annoying." Chuckles erupted from the crowd, and Lorelai smiled. "Anyway, she's the best kid ever, and I owe her more Hello Kitty merchandise than she could haul home from the mall." She leaned down to hug a smiling Rory.

"At this time, my dance-aphobic husband is duty-bound to join me on the dance floor," Lorelai announced. She held out her hand to Luke.

Everyone clapped as they made their way from their table. The lights dimmed.

"Wait. What's going on?" Luke asked, seeing Liz and Gil coming to stand by the musicians.

"Just a little change of plans," Lorelai assured him.

"What did you do?" he demanded, suspicious of anything having to do with Liz.

"Put your arms around me," Lorelai suggested, putting hers around his neck. It was nice and warm in the tent and she'd taken off her jacket, so he was finally able to touch her skin. "Just hold me and sway."

Gil played an introduction on the guitar, and Liz began to sing. "Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'…"

Luke shook his head. " _Eternal Flame_. You get The Bangles after all."

Lorelai grinned up at him. "Or as close as I can get."

"Do you always get your own way?"

She put a hand against his face and looked at him, her eyes full of love. "I hope so," she whispered.

He held her tight, nestling his head against hers. "I do too," he agreed. Because if what she wanted was him, then all was right with his world. He continued to hold her close, swaying around the dance floor.

"…Give me your hand, darlin'…" Liz's last notes faded away, and this time Gil didn't do anything rock'n'rollish at the end, content to let the romantic song speak for itself.

Everyone clapped again, and Luke gave Lorelai a light kiss before she pulled away from him, stretching her arms out towards Richard.

"OK, Daddy, it's your turn!"

Richard walked over to take his place with Lorelai. This time the Gilmore-hired musicians began to play. Richard turned in disbelief as the first notes sounded. "Why this…This is _Unchained Melody_!" he protested to his daughter.

"Yes, it is," Lorelai agreed, still holding her arms out, ready to dance with her father.

He frowned at her. "Your mother and I danced to this at _our_ wedding!"

"Yes, I know."

"How do you know that?" he practically demanded.

Lorelai laughed. "Dad, I've heard you and Mom talk about your wedding all of my life. Did you really think I wasn't paying attention?"

Richard looked at his daughter with newfound appreciation. "I guess you were."

Lorelai wiggled her fingers at him. "Are you going to dance with me? Or do you want to wait and see if you like the next song better?"

"No, this one will do just fine, Lorelai." Smiling, Richard began to move his daughter around the dance floor.

Rory had come to stand beside Luke, and she leaned against him now. "Grandpa looks happy," she observed.

"Your mom does, too," Luke pointed out.

"Yeah," Rory said thoughtfully. She watched them for a little bit longer, before she smiled up at Luke. "That's nice to see."

After that there was more dancing, and canapés, and tables of guests to visit, and alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

There had been a great red wine with dinner, which slipped down easily with the beef dish. There had been lots of small sips of champagne during toasts, and all of those tiny sips possibly added up to a significant amount. It seemed like every time they stopped, another glass was pressed into his hand. He wasn't drunk, but he was definitely relaxed. Dancing felt easier. Kissing Lorelai in public was no longer an issue.

The musicians played a fanfare, and Sookie, with help from several Inn employees, pushed in a cart with the wedding cake.

"Oh, my _God_ ," Lorelai gasped. She grabbed his hand and they made their way to the small mountain that apparently was their wedding cake. A beautifully decorated mountain, but a mountain nonetheless.

"What is this? The Yellow Brick Road?" Luke asked, seeing a path carved into and around the mountain, leading to the top.

"No, silly, it's the road to your wedding!" Sookie giggled.

Lorelai gasped again. "It _is_!" She began pointing at things. "Look, here's a mug of coffee down at the base…" She leaned down, squinting. "I don't believe it. It even has the Luke's logo on it, hon, see?"

"It does," Luke said faintly, leaning down to see for himself.

"And here's the birdhouse…"

"And apples!" Rory called out, on the opposite side of the cake.

"Christmas trees! Snowflakes!" Lorelai added, delighted.

At the top was the gazebo, with a tiny Luke and a tiny Lorelai standing inside of it.

"Trying to make the plaid for that shirt almost cost me my sanity," Sookie said.

"Almost?" Luke whispered to Lorelai.

"Honey, this is the most amazing thing!" Lorelai hugged Sookie. "I can't believe the detail on this!"

"Mom, look over here!" Rory tugged her mother over to the other side. "Look, dragonflies!"

"Sookie, this is too beautiful," Lorelai proclaimed, seeing the spun-sugar wings on the dragonflies, which were taking flight over a swath of the cake.

A lot of the guests had come forward, wanting to see the masterpiece up close. They were pointing out all of the little details, marveling at the intricate design.

"Time for you two to do your thing," Sookie said, passing an elegant silver-plated cake server to Lorelai.

Lorelai looked perplexed. "Where do we even start?"

"Just down here at the base. It's really no different than any other wedding cake," Sookie said casually, directing Lorelai's hand to the proper spot.

Lorelai blew out a breath. "OK, babe, you ready?"

"Sure," Luke said, easily putting his hand on top of hers, because serving food was something he knew all about, even if the food in question was the size of a small mountain. But then he suddenly pulled away and looked at her suspiciously. "Wait. You're not going to smear icing all over my face, are you?"

Lorelai looked horrified. "And waste even one crumb of Sookie's delicious cake? Are you kidding? That's blasphemy!"

They managed to cut the ceremonial piece and feed each other a bite as cameras flashed all around them, including Rachel's.

Lorelai tugged on his sleeve and opened her mouth.

"What?"

"I want more. That's really yummy."

"Your hands don't work?" Luke tried to give her the fork.

"That's your job tonight, hubby." She opened her mouth again, like a baby bird.

"Oh, for cryin'…" But he ended up feeding her the rest of the piece of cake anyway, down to the very last crumb.

"Now come with me," Lorelai directed him, and led him up to the musicians' corner. There she asked for and received a microphone.

"Just a little surprise," she told him, winking. "Hi, everybody!" she said into the microphone. "If I could have your attention, please?"

Quite a few of the guests were in line to get a piece of wedding cake, but everyone turned their way.

"I know we already have plenty of cake, but before I knew our wedding cake could feed most of the state of Connecticut, Sookie and I hatched a plan to also have a groom's cake tonight. And what a very, very special cake it is."

Lorelai tucked her free arm around Luke's waist and leaned into him slightly. "For those of you who don't know, today is the birthday of the woman who would have been my mother-in-law. Sadly, I never met Katherine Danes, but I do know she must have been the epitome of motherhood, because she raised Luke to be the wonderful man he is today."

"She _was_ wonderful, but I don't know that you want to hold me up as an example of that," Luke demurred.

"Don't disagree with the bride," Lorelai said brightly. "Anyway, thanks to Luke's sister Liz, we found a picture of their parents' wedding cake, and Sookie made a replica of it."

There was a small commotion as Sookie and the Inn's staff brought in another table. This one held a more traditionally sized and decorated wedding cake.

"There are pictures on the table of the Danes family, and also some paper and pens. If any of you knew Will and Katie and would like to jot down a memory you have of them, we would love to have those memories as a permanent part of our wedding day. Thank you in advance for sharing!" Lorelai turned to Luke. "And now we're going over to pose for some more pictures."

At the table holding the groom's cake, Luke picked up the picture of his mom and dad ready to slice into their wedding cake. He compared the picture against the cake sitting on the table. "It's remarkable. It's like a direct copy," he marveled.

Sookie shrugged. "It was a pretty straight-forward cake."

"It was a real effort to keep her reined in," Lorelai informed him, nudging her friend in the ribs.

Sookie suddenly looked happier. "I did take some liberties with the flavors inside, though!"

"Oh-oh," Lorelai sighed. "Hope you like passion fruit."

They cut a piece and took the ceremonial bites for the camera again. Well, Luke took a ceremonial bite. Lorelai once again devoured the entire slice.

She looked over at their towering wedding cake, deliberating. "I think I need to have another piece of that one, now. I can't decide which one I like best."

"Hey." Luke took her by the waist and pulled her to him, giving her a hug. "Thanks for doing this. That was awfully sweet of you to think of it." He looked back at the picture of his parents again, so happy on their own wedding day.

"I wanted them to be a part of it, too," Lorelai explained.

That earned her a kiss.

Sookie abruptly stopped cutting pieces of cake and rushed around the table to them, taking hold of their elbows. "Who is that?" she asked breathlessly.

"Who?" Lorelai looked around at the crowd.

" _Him_ ," Sookie said, motioning with her chin.

Luke couldn't tell exactly who she meant, but he took the best guess he could. "Do you mean Jackson?"

" _Jackson_." Sookie breathed the name out, spellbound. "Who is _Jackson_?"

"You know Jackson, sweetie. He's the vegetable guy," Lorelai reminded her.

" _Vegetables_ ," Sookie muttered, still staring.

"He took you to the Inn after that crazy festival last summer. He found you drunk in his beet patch," Luke said, trying to be helpful.

Sookie turned to him, wide-eyed. " _Beets,"_ she whispered. Her head whipped back around to watch Jackson. "I should go dance with him," she said. "Right now." She began to dart through the crowd, making her way over to where Jackson was standing, clueless that his life was about to change.

They watched her go. "Love at first sight?" Lorelai theorized.

"Love at first non-inebriated sight, anyway," Luke amended.

Lorelai giggled. "They'd be good together, right? A chef and a vegetable guy?"

"In theory," he laughed. "Sounds like a match made in culinary heaven."

"Like us."

"How would that be like us?"

"You like to cook and I like to eat."

"Well, when you put it that way."

"Dance with me." Lorelai ordered.

"Again?" he pretended to complain. Like having her in his arms was some sort of ordeal.

"I'll take whatever I can get," she said happily.

They danced some more, drank some more, ate some more cake. At least, Lorelai ate more cake.

"Oh, look! Cute," Lorelai said, pointing, while in the midst of a third taste test to decide if she liked the wedding cake better than the groom's cake.

Luke turned and saw that Miss Patty was showing Rory and Jess how to waltz. He watched them for a minute. " _Is_ that cute?"

"Of course it's cute." Lorelai paused to lick icing from her fork. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know." Luke continued to watch, as Miss Patty got Jess's arms in the right position around Rory. He shrugged, wishing he didn't have some sort of weird feeling about it. "It's just, they're really young, and well…sort of related, now."

"They're not related," Lorelai said, sounding affronted. "But they are going to see each other a lot; spend time together. It's nice that they have some things in common, isn't it? Nice that they like being around each other?"

"I guess."

"Goodness, Luke, I'm not _matchmaking_ here! Even Patty's not doing that! She's just trying to teach them some social skills."

Jess finally figured out where his feet were supposed to go and he suddenly whirled Rory around their spot on the floor. The surprised – then delighted – look on their faces was priceless. Patty threw back her head and laughed heartily before shouting encouragements at them to keep going.

"OK, you're right," Luke admitted grudgingly, seeing how much fun the kids were having.

"Besides, if Rory would be able to find a guy from your family tree to settle down with eventually, would that be so bad? Since Rory and I both think you're perfect and all."

"Far, far off in the future."

"Right before she ships us off to the nursing home."

"Well, in that case…" He shrugged again. "But it doesn't freak you out, thinking about when she's ready to date?"

"Oh, you bet it does. I just hope that I'm enough of a cautionary tale to make her think twice about everything."

Frowning, he whipped around to see her. "You're not a cautionary tale."

She laughed at him. "Uh, yeah, babe, I kinda am."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Luke, I got pregnant at 15. Three years older than Rory is now."

That froze him to the spot, while his face probably displayed sheer panic.

"Hey, she's not me," Lorelai kindly reassured him. "And the household she's growing up in is the polar opposite of what I had. We'll know what's going on with her. We'll talk."

Luke got his breath back. " _You'll_ talk."

Lorelai chuckled again. "We'll _both_ talk. You're good with her. I can almost imagine her going to you with boy problems instead of me."

"Heaven help me."

She put down the cake plate and came over to put her arms around him. "You're going to be a good daddy," she consoled him. "You've already proven it with Rory. You've got good kid instincts. There, there, it's all going to be OK." She patted him on the back, sort of if he was a baby, and he ate it up, relaxing against her.

"Lucas, I wish to have a word with you." The stern voice of Lorelai's grandmother made them jump apart, almost guiltily. "I'm sure your wife can spare you for a brief period of time."

"Sure, Gran. Have at him," Lorelai said cheerfully. "I'm going in search of more cake. Or maybe a different dance partner. Just don't wear him out!" she warned teasingly.

Trix put her hand on his elbow. "Let's find a quiet corner in which to converse, if such a thing is possible."

Luke escorted her to the farthest table from the dance floor, but it was still noisy.

"I guess this will have to do," she said fussily, taking a seat. She motioned for Luke to sit next to her. "I will get right to it. I'm sure you are aware that my son did not have a son."

Luke blinked rapidly, not seeing what that fact had to do with anything at this point in time. He wondered if the old lady was drunk. "Right," he said, nodding, deciding it was probably for the best to just agree with her as much as possible.

"That means that the Gilmore name will eventually come to an end."

"Right," Luke said again, still in the dark.

"Hey, there's the groom!" Louie was suddenly there, clapping Luke on the back. "Say, Lorelai, do you mind if I sit in on this gabfest?"

Hearing someone other than _his_ Lorelai being called by that name threw Luke for a moment, and by the time he got his wits back, Louie was already sitting down on the other side of him.

Trix scowled at Louie. "If you must."

Louie had a piece of cake and a glass of beer in a fancy mug. "Don't mind me," he told them, shoveling in some cake. "I'll just sit here and listen. And eat some of this outstanding cake that soup-obsessed friend of yours made. I'll tell you, that little gal knows how to bake!"

Luke was going to say something in praise of Sookie, but Trix began to speak again. "As I was saying, once Richard is deceased, the Gilmore line will come to an end."

"That's…too bad?" Luke wasn't sure what the correct response was to a statement like that.

"So, Lucas, my proposition to you is that you might consider taking on the Gilmore name, instead of what is the more traditional way of the wife taking the name of her husband."

"I'm sorry – what?" he asked, slack-jawed. "You want me to _what_?"

"You would change your name to Gilmore," she responded coolly. "You would agree that any and all children born to you and Lorelai would be Gilmores."

"Wh-what!?" he sputtered again.

"Lorelai – forgive me for butting in here – but do you realize that Luke is in the same position as your boy Richard?" Louie patted him on the shoulder. "Luke here is the last in our line of Daneses. He's our only hope for the name of Danes continuing into the future, too." Louie took another bite of cake, winking at Luke. "So you and your bride should get busy on that right away, son."

Trix sent a death-glare Louie's way before turning her attention once more to Luke. "Also, I wanted to inform you that I've had my people looking into that property you and Lorelai are interested in."

"Your people?" Luke shook his head, wondering if _he_ was the one who was drunk. "What are you talking about?"

"The property with the dilapidated old inn on it, the one you said was falling down, but that Lorelai wants anyway."

"The Dragonfly?"

Trix nodded.

"What about it?"

"I've been thinking about it since our talk last night. It would make sense for you to obtain the property now, would it not? Especially if you're thinking of doing the work yourself. That way you could be working on it, a little at a time, until Lorelai feels competent to open it. And your timely intervention would prevent what's left of the building to fall into even more disrepair."

"But I told you…we're not ready to take that on yet. Especially not financially."

A calculated smile briefly graced Trix's mouth. "We could call it a wedding gift. Property is so much more… _practical_ than a silver service, is it not?"

"Wait." Luke swung his head over to look at Louie, who he found was still calmly eating, trying to judge if he was the only one who thought this conversation was bizarre. He then turned his attention back to Trix. "Are you – are you trying to _bribe_ me?"

"Oh, Lucas, bribery is such an ugly word. I much prefer to think of it as an exchange between two people who both get what they want."

Before Luke could think of a reply, Louie spoke up. "You know, Luke, Fran Weston owns that property."

"Right, yeah, I know that."

Louie shrugged. "She's not going to sell it to just anybody."

Trix sniffed. "Oh, for the right amount of money, I'm sure she could be persuaded."

Louie snorted at that. "You don't know Fran Weston. She's the last of her line too, and that old Dragonfly place meant the world to her folks at one time. I doubt she's going to let it go without a fight. Unless…" He looked smugly over at Luke. "Unless the persuasion comes from something other than money."

"What does that mean?" Trix asked sharply.

"It means that Fran has always been a little bit sweet on me."

"Yuck," Luke said, horrified.

"Nah, kid, not like that. I just mean that she never had any kids, and she took a special interest in both me and Will when we were growing up. I think she looked on us like the sons she never had." He winked at Luke again. "I bet I'd have much better luck getting that property out of her hands than any snooty, high-priced Hartford lawyer."

"Are you offering me a challenge, Louie?" Trix's voice was pure steel.

Louie scraped the last of the icing from his plate. "I'm just letting Luke know that it doesn't have to come down to selling off the family name, because there's always more than one way to skin a cat. Just trying to give him and Lorelai something else to think about." He licked the fork, then shrugged. "But if you wanted to do a little wagering on the side, I wouldn't be opposed."

"It's possible that could be…entertaining." Trix observed, looking intrigued.

"Luke, why don't you go back to that pretty wife of yours, and let Miss Trix and I do some negotiating?" Louie suggested. "Go get yourself a drink or something."

Luke stood up, a little shakily, and pushed his chair back in. "I'm not changing my name," he told Trix, and then turned to Louie. "And don't sweet-talk Fran into selling the Dragonfly to you. We're not ready for it yet."

"Sure, kid, whatever you say," Louie said, cracking his knuckles, already beginning to lean over the table towards Lorelai's grandmother.

Luke made the decision to wash his hands of whatever was going to happen between them. For the first time he could ever remember, he did take Louie's advice, though. He walked to the bar and got a fancy glass full of beer too. He hadn't known that was a choice.

Lorelai had somehow managed to talk Ed Tallman into dancing with her. Luke leaned against one of the tent's posts, finding it enjoyable to observe them together, watching Lorelai make Ed laugh.

"How's it going?" Rachel asked, coming up to join him.

"Not bad." He saluted her with the mug.

She looked at him curiously. "Are you having…fun?"

He thought that over. "You know…I kind of am."

"Really? Wow. You've changed."

He didn't even need to ponder that. "I have," he agreed.

Rachel leaned on the other side of the post. "Who's that dancing with Rory?" she wanted to know.

Luke found Rory and then tried to stifle a sigh. "That's her father," he said flatly.

"That's her dad?" Rachel straightened up, interested. "So that's Lorelai's –"

"Yep."

"I can't believe you invited him to the wedding."

"We didn't. He just showed up." Luke sighed again. "I told him it was OK to stay."

" _You_ did? Are you kidding me? Why?"

He shrugged. "He's her dad. It was the right thing to do, because it made Rory happy."

Rachel stared at him until he finally snapped. "What?"

She grinned. "Nothing. Maturity looks good on you, that's all."

He smiled back. "Thanks."

Rachel went back to watching Rory and Christopher. "You know, he _is_ kind of cute."

"So I've been told."

"Single?"

"As far as I know. Why, you want me to introduce you?"

She actually thought about that, biting her lip. "He hasn't been involved in Rory's life much, has he?"

"Nope. He's making more of an effort now, but no, he's been mostly out of the picture."

She nodded, having made her decision. "I think I'll pass, then."

"Good," Luke said dryly, "because that would have been weird."

Rachel laughed. "Yeah, he's not cute enough to put up with that level of weirdness." She watched for a moment longer. "I do think I'll go take their picture, though. Rory would probably like that, right?"

"Yeah, she probably would. Thanks, Rachel."

He started to make his way towards Lorelai, but Mia intercepted him and persuaded him to dance with her. And then Maisie insisted upon a dance as well, as did Miss Patty and Babette. Then all of the single ladies lined up as Lorelai threw her bouquet, which was caught by Aunt Hope, who promptly made a deal to pass it off to Miss Patty in exchange for a dance with Luke – although he wasn't exactly clear on how those terms came to be.

At last he was able to connect with Lorelai again.

"Finally, a dance partner tall enough for me," he told her, eagerly taking her in his arms.

"Yes, that is exactly what I bring to a relationship," she said. Her feet suddenly slipped and he swiftly caught her. "Whoopsie!" she giggled.

"Are you drunk?"

"No, although the term 'tipsy' could probably be safely applied."

"Yeah, same here," he admitted.

"Thank God there's no punch, right? We'd all be on the floor."

"Um-hum." He hugged her to him.

"Hey, did you get to talk to Jeremy and his date?"

"God, yes." He looked over her shoulder, searching for them. "What is up with _that_ , huh?"

"I know, right? Do you think she's even out of high school?"

Luke slowed their steps so he could look at Lorelai. "What do you mean?"

"His date. Something Sutton or something Foster or whatever her name is. She looks like she's about 16."

He scoffed. "Seriously? _That's_ what you noticed?"

She looked at him, puzzled. "Well, yeah. Why? What else?"

"Lorelai, she looks just like you!"

"She does?" Lorelai looked around, trying to spot them. "I mean, she's got long dark hair, and she's tall, but…"

"He told me he wanted a Lorelai of his own, I just didn't think he meant a carbon copy," Luke fumed.

"Do you really think she looks like me?" she asked anxiously, staring over at the couple.

Realizing that she was now a little unnerved by the resemblance, Luke backpedaled his own annoyance. "Maybe from across the room, a little bit. Up close she can't hold a candle to you."

"OK," she said, but from the look on her face, he could tell she was still thinking about it.

"You know how beautiful you are, right?" Luke bent his head, just enough so he could speak next to her ear. He held her close and rubbed his cheek against hers. "But it's not your beauty that's the most attractive thing about you. Do you know what I love the most about you?"

"That I wear really short skirts?" she suggested saucily.

"Well…yes," he had to admit, unable to picture anything else now except her exceptional long legs emerging from under one particular black skirt she was fond of wearing. "I do like that."

"You like some of the tops I wear too."

He couldn't deny that, either. He started to caress her bare shoulder, thinking about a blue sweater she'd been wearing around Christmas time, and wondering if she'd dig it out of the closet again when the weather got cool enough. "Stop distracting me," he told her.

She laughed, put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him to her for a quick kiss. At least, it started out as a quick kiss. It ended up as something else.

" _Anyway_ ," he said, trying to get back on message, "you are the most amazing woman I've ever met. You're so clever and quick. You can turn words around and make a joke so fast it makes my head spin. You're smart. You're kind. You're a fantastic mother. You're good at business. And then, to top it all off, you're absolutely drop-dead gorgeous."

"Don't forget sexy," she teased.

"That too," he whispered, running a thumb under her lip. "And I can't believe…I'll never believe…that I'm this lucky. That you fell in love with me. That you stuck around and fought through my stubbornness and gave me this much happiness. I love you so much, Lorelai. I can't believe that I get to love you every day for the rest of my life."

He kissed her again, and when he pulled back, she seemed to be fighting for breath and was looking at him wild-eyed.

"I want to go be married now," she stated.

He shook his head. "Too late. We _are_ married."

"No, you don't understand." She wrapped her hands around the lapels of his tux jacket and yanked him to her. "I want to go be married _alone_. Right _now_."

Desire flamed through him the second he comprehended what she meant. "Good idea," he muttered, reaching for her hand.

"I always have good ideas. You should add that to the list of all of my wonderfulness," she told him, and picked up her skirt so they could hurry to the exit a little bit faster.

Obviously, being married to Lorelai was going to be all kinds of wonderful, forever and ever, for as long as they both drew breath.

* * *

 **NOTES:**

I've had _Eternal Flame_ stuck in my head for two weekends now…

Here we are, almost at the end. There's a little bit more to come, a few additional pages to wrap things up, which I've been thinking of as an epilogue, but I guess they're really more of a bridge. Anyway, because we're at the almost-end, I have a lot of acknowledgements to make.

First, I borrowed a bunch of stuff for the wedding ceremony, and my librarian gene demands that I cite my sources. (FF won't allow me to post the urls, but if you search, they should pop right up.) The wedding ceremony came from _the knot_ ; Protestant Wedding Ceremony Script. The poem Sookie read is a real thing, _Love is Like Food_ , written by Kasey Szamatul. The blessing that Rory recites is from _wedding planning words_. _The Strong-Willed Child_ is a real book, as all of us who had children in the '80's know. And as Liz said, the talented Carole King wrote our favorite song, _Where You Lead._

I also stuck in a lot of my favorite stuff, just to make me happy. You'll find phrases reminiscent of the show ("I want to thank Mia and Ed, just for being Mia and Ed!" "Yes, that is exactly what I bring to a relationship!") as well as references to some of my favorite fics ("Seems about Right," "Take Whatever You Can Get.") There are many scattered about, people.

Lastly, thanks to the amazing **Eledgy** for always offering stellar fixes to my awkward paragraphs. I took out the (mostly) but kept in Sutton Foster, as you knew I would. Sorry, but I've been saving that one up for too long not to use it!

I think that's it. See you very soon with the wrap-up!


	14. Finally

" _I want to go be married now," she stated._

 _He shook his head. "Too late. We are married."_

" _No, you don't understand." She wrapped her hands around the lapels of his tux jacket and yanked him to her. "I want to go be married_ alone _. Right_ now _."_

 _Desire flamed through him the second he comprehended what she meant. "Good idea," he muttered, reaching for her hand._

" _I always have good ideas. You should add that to the list of all of my wonderfulness," she told him, and picked up her skirt so they could hurry to the exit a little bit faster._

 _Obviously, being married to Lorelai was going to be all kinds of wonderful, forever and ever, for as long as they both drew breath…_

* * *

"Do you think anyone will miss us?" Luke asked, half-joking, as they briskly walked to the tent opening.

"Crap," Lorelai said, coming to an abrupt halt. She dropped her skirt back to the ground.

"What?"

She glanced around at the crowd. "You're right. We need to say our goodbyes."

"Hey, no – I didn't mean –" Luke certainly didn't want to announce their departure. Sneaking out was definitely preferable to him.

"Sorry, babe, I was momentarily blinded by lust." Lorelai regretfully put her hand on his chest. "But we need to say goodbye to Rory, at least, and make sure she's all set to leave with Mia. I should probably say something to Mom and Dad, too. And I think Mia told me that the shuttle is on standby, waiting to take us back to the Inn when we were ready."

Luke cringed. "Do we have to? I don't want everybody looking at us like they know why we're leaving," he grumbled.

"Sweetie, it's our wedding night. Everybody knows what we're going to go do."

"Oh, joy."

"Come on, it'll just take a couple of minutes," Lorelai said encouragingly, taking his hand.

"It's OK that we're leaving, right?" Luke asked as they searched the crowd for Mia or the Gilmores. "I mean, there's not some protocol for that, is there?"

"Not really. I think we've fulfilled all of our obligations. People will probably be grateful that we're going. That means they can leave, too."

"Mom!" Rory was running to intercept them, a slice of cake bouncing on the plate in her hands. "Can I take my hair down now?" she wanted to know.

"Sure," Lorelai told her, "but you might have a hard time brushing it out, what with all of the hairspray we used. It might be best to wait and shower it out at Mia's."

"I'm never doing this again," Rory complained.

"Beauty is pain," Lorelai told her. "Never too early to learn that lesson."

"' _Let us be elegant or die._ '" Rory turned to Luke. "That's what Jo says in _Little Women_ ," she explained.

"See? Over a hundred years of literature bears out that basic female truth," Lorelai said.

"What are you doing?" Rory wanted to know, following along with them.

"Getting ready to leave. You're all set to go home with Mia, right?"

"Yeah, she's already got my bag in her car," Rory confirmed.

"OK, then, hon." Lorelai turned to Rory and gave her a hug. "Be good at Mia's. We'll see you sometime tomorrow."

"Grandma says you tell the bride 'best wishes,' so…" Rory hugged her mom hard, or at least as hard as she could while holding a plateful of cake. "Best wishes, Mom."

"Thanks, baby. I couldn't have done it without you."

Rory moved to Luke. She started to say something, but then stopped suddenly, looking abashed.

"Something wrong?" Luke asked, a little concerned.

She looked down at her feet. "Not really. I was going to say 'Congratulations, Dad,' but that just seems…too weird," she said quietly. "Especially since my dad's actually here tonight and everything."

"Hey." Luke tilted her chin up. "I'm perfectly OK with you continuing to call me Luke. You and I know what we are to each other. I don't think there's any reason the titles have to change."

Rory looked relieved. "OK, as long as you're cool with that." She gave him a one-armed hug, too. "Congratulations, Luke." She stretched up on her tiptoes to whisper to him. "I'm glad you _are_ my almost-daddy though, whether I call you that or not."

Luke choked up. "Me too," he said, his voice all hoarse, and hugged her back.

"There's Mia," Rory pointed out, straightening her dress after pulling away from Luke's emotional embrace.

Mia saw them heading her way and came forward to meet them. "Ready to go?" she asked kindly.

"Yeah, we are. This has been such a fabulous night." Lorelai hugged her affectionately. "I can never thank you enough for everything."

"Oh, Lorelai, my dear." Mia put her hands on Lorelai's shoulders and looked at her tenderly. "After all the joy and love you and Rory have brought into my life, this is the least I could do. It's been my pleasure."

"Mia, you're the best." Lorelai hugged her again. "What would I do without you?"

"I feel the same way about you." Mia gently patted Lorelai's cheek, then looked over at Luke. "Of course I'm fond you too, Lucas."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." He stepped up to give her a hug as well. "What you said during the ceremony, and everything you've done to make tonight so special for us – thank you, Mia. I agree with Lorelai, you are the best."

"Katie would have–" Mia cut herself off, swallowing hard. "No, there are no tears tonight. I'm so happy, you two. So happy that you have each other."

Rory had followed them over and began to lean tiredly against Mia, putting her free arm around her waist. "Oh, and this one!" Mia squeezed Rory's shoulders. "Thanks for letting me play the indulgent grandma tonight."

"Good luck chipping the lacquer off of her hair, Grandma," Lorelai cautioned her.

Mia laughed, then looked around, trying to spot an Inn employee. "Let me get the van here for you."

They exchanged some more words of thanks and goodbye, and then Lorelai went over to where they had been sitting and picked up her jacket. She put it on and also picked up her bouquet, then they walked over to Richard and Emily.

"Mom, weren't you telling me that you knew about some process to preserve flowers?" Lorelai said.

Emily nodded. "Yes, Lucinda Johnson's daughter had that done with her bouquet after she was married in June."

Lorelai handed the bouquet to her. "Would you be willing to look into that for me?"

Emily had buried her nose into the blooms, but looked up, startled, at Lorelai's request. "You'd let me do that?"

Lorelai chuckled. "Let you? Mom, you'd be doing me a huge favor."

"Then I'd be delighted," Emily said, but she still looked dubious that Lorelai had given her permission, no strings attached.

"Thank you, so much. One more thing off my list." Lorelai then pointed to the tiara on her head. "Do you want to take this back home with you tonight?"

"No, I don't want you to disturb your hairdo, you look so lovely. I'm sure you'll take good care of it until you can return it to me."

"OK, but the hair's coming down soon anyway. Luke and I are ready to head out."

"I see." Emily looked displeased. "Make sure it's secured properly inside its case. I assume there's a safe at the inn? I'd feel better knowing it's protected until you bring it back to me."

"Sure, that works. I'll stick it in the safe until we get to Hartford."

"Very well, then." Emily looked around until she spotted Rory. "You said that Rory is spending the night with that woman?"

Lorelai briefly looked at Luke and rolled her eyes. "With Mia. Yes, she is."

"I wish you'd let her go home with us."

"Mom, this is so much easier, keeping her here in Stars Hollow. Plus, since she's never stayed with you, I'm afraid she'd have trouble sleeping in a strange place."

"It's not a strange place, Lorelai, it's our home. She's been there dozens of times."

"But not overnight."

"Which is something we need to change. There's no reason she can't sleep at our home occasionally."

"Fine. Now that the wedding's over, and things will settle down, we'll try to plan an overnight in Hartford for Rory."

"When?" Emily wanted to know, pushing her advantage.

"Geez, Mom, I don't know!" Lorelai's laugh sounded strained. "We'll have to look at the calendar, OK?"

"Maybe we can set something up when we bring the tiara over," Luke suggested, trying to dispel the building tension between the two women.

"That sounds sensible," Richard put in. "Just be aware that we'd be happy to have Rory with us at any time. And, if her overnight with us should happen to coincide with the Householders hosting a party, thereby giving us a plausible reason to decline attending, so much the better."

"You like Samuel," Emily informed him.

"I tolerate Samuel," Richard clarified. "And I would much rather spend the night with my granddaughter."

"We'll see what we can do," Lorelai promised, back to smiling again. "We just wanted to say goodnight, and thank you again, for everything. This night has been perfect."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Emily said. She glanced over at Richard. "We did, too."

"Sorry about my sister's idiot friend," Luke added, feeling as though he needed to address some of the unorthodox parts of the ceremony.

"At least the song was beautiful, once the _advertising_ was done," Emily said, still irritated over the inappropriate marketing.

"Speak for yourself," Richard said. "I fully intend to go to Salisbury and get my 20% off sometime this week." He reached inside his suit jacket. "See, I've got a flyer," he said, waving it around.

"Richard, put that away!" Emily snapped.

Grinning, Richard did. "If any of you want to join me for lunch one day, give me a call. My treat."

"Well, our ride's probably here, so…" Lorelai hugged her mother, then stepped over to hug Richard.

"This was a proud night for us, Lorelai," her father told her. He looked at her closely, from head to toes, as if he wanted to memorize every detail. He then turned to Luke. "We're entrusting our family's two most precious gifts to you –"

Lorelai interrupted, counting on her fingers. "Rory…and the tiara, right?"

Richard rolled his eyes, but continued with his statement. "And I know they're safe in your hands, Luke."

"Yes, sir," Luke solemnly agreed, shaking on it.

"And _we're_ going to take good care of him, too," Lorelai added, hugging his arm.

"That's what marriage is all about," Richard said, smiling tenderly at Emily. "Each partner taking care of the other."

"Maybe the two of you want to be alone," Lorelai teased, beginning to drag Luke away. "We'll see you later!"

Word had gotten around that the bride and groom were leaving. They had to stop dozens of times on the way to the exit to say goodbye. By the time they finally reached the tent opening, many of their guests had gathered there, blowing whatever bubbles were left in their bottles as a farewell.

"Goodbye!" Lorelai called, and they rushed out into the night. "Thank you!"

A disgruntled Michel was waiting beside the van for them. "Oh, I _hope_ you did not hurry on my account. I have _loved_ standing here, waiting for you to finally emerge. It does not matter that my feet are now without feeling."

"And the perfect night takes a nosedive," Lorelai complained.

"Yes. Funny how it works out that way." Sullenly, he opened the van's sliding door for them.

Luke helped Lorelai in, trying to condense the gown's full skirt so that it would fit inside the rear passenger compartment. He hopped in beside her, putting his arm around her as he took his seat.

Michel closed their door before taking his own place in the driver's seat. While starting the engine, he glared back at Lorelai in the rearview mirror. "Do not do anything disgusting," he warned her.

Of course that was a direct challenge to Lorelai. In spite of the sheer volume of her dress, she managed to hoist herself up and onto Luke's lap. She anchored her arms around his neck, leaned sideways and kicked, her legs emerging from underneath the froth of the lace and tulle. Luke held her steady, thinking that she looked like something out of a '40's musical.

"I should leave you by the side of the road," Michel sneered.

"I would suggest you don't," Luke said mildly. Over the months he'd gleaned that the constant sniping between Lorelai and Michel was actually a twisted form of affection. Sometimes he thought they acted like siblings, always trying to one-up the other with their insults.

Lorelai stopped bicycling her legs and leaned against him, tucking her face against his neck. He expected kisses, but instead he felt her sigh and completely relax, content to let him hold her.

"Tired?" he asked, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

"Conserving energy. Still got a lot of wedding night expectations to meet."

Michel made a gagging noise. "I hear you, you know."

Lorelai looked up at Luke, grinning in triumph.

Michel drove around to the side of the Inn. He opened the sliding door and waited, making sure that Lorelai didn't need more than just Luke's help to get out safely. He escorted them up a small path to an inconspicuous door, which he unlocked, and then held open for them. As they prepared to step inside, he handed Luke the key to the honeymoon suite.

"I suppose you now expect me to fawn all over you, to tell you how beautiful you look as a bride," Michel taunted her.

"Hardly," Lorelai scoffed.

"Well…you do." He turned abruptly and left them standing there.

Lorelai spun around to stare at his retreating back, her mouth hanging open. " _That_ was surprising."

Luke just smiled, keeping his insights to himself.

The bride knew the most efficient way to get to their room, and the groom was happy to follow her. Once they reached the isolated door, Luke unlocked it and swung it open.

He put his hand on her arm, stopping her just in case she had it in mind to walk in on her own. "I might not be the most romantic guy in the world, but even _I_ know how I'm supposed to do this," he announced, putting one arm around her waist and another under her thighs. He picked her up and carried her over the threshold.

Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling in delight. She made a small humming noise of sheer happiness and kissed his cheek.

Luke leaned back against the door to close it. He wasn't ready to put her down yet. He wasn't sure if it was the joy and relief of finally being married, or because of all of the night's booze, but he felt like he could fly. He felt like Superman. He felt invincible. He felt… _amazing_.

He playfully tossed her in his arms, a huge smile on his face. "Have you gained weight?" he teased her.

To his dismay, Lorelai's face changed, losing the happy glow. She struggled to get out of his arms, to put her own feet down on the floor. "Um, yeah…I have," she admitted, twisting her hands together nervously.

Luke was staggered. He never dreamed his supremely confident, well-adjusted bride would take his words seriously. "Lorelai…Sweetheart, you know I'm just joking, right? Even if I thought it was true, I'd _never_ say something like that to you!"

She still looked stricken. "But it is true."

He had no idea how to handle this. "Then…whatever little bit of weight you're talking about must have gone to all of the right places, because you look incredible." He stepped close to her, and reached out to stroke her face, trying to be soothing. "Tell you what," he suggested, dropping his voice into a sexy whisper, "why don't you take off your clothes and let me see if I can find that little bit more of you? Maybe it's someplace I haven't kissed yet."

"I just don't want you to worry…"

"I'm not worried –" Luke immediately began to protest.

"…because whatever weight I gain, it will all be gone in about nine months."

And Superman, who had felt so invincible only moments before, found himself sitting on the floor as his legs buckled underneath him.

 **The End of _A Wedding in the Hollow_**

* * *

Come back in…oh, I guess about nine months…for _A Baby in the Hollow_! (Congrats to the readers who had already figured out the title for the last part of this trilogy!)

* * *

All kidding aside, I _am_ going on hiatus for a while. (Probably not for the whole nine months, though.) Unlike most of you, the revival has me freaked out. I think I'm just going to go hide under my bed until it's over, repeating my mantra: "Luke and Lorelai are _so_ pretty, Luke and Lorelai are _so_ pretty…" If I get antsy, there are probably a dozen unfinished one-shots lurking on my computer, some of which I might try to complete and post, but otherwise I'm taking a break from the Gilmore world for two months.

So…"See you when Hillary's president!" - Lorelai Gilmore _, "A Messenger, Nothing More"_


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